Time Chaser
by White Shade
Summary: Aeon is traveling through time rifts looking for a vacation and he comes to a small village. He finds more trouble than he hoped for, but also a certain someone he'd like to spend eternity with. It's an AeonxOC romance. Rated T for violence & language.
1. Chapter 1

The clock stood, tall and ever high no matter what the weather. It withstood the worst of storms, and this evening in particular was a test of the old clock's ability to hold itself well. Still, through the rain, thunder, and blistering winds, the seconds ticked by. And on the top of that specific clock tower stood a young man.

He, in appearance, was quite formally dressed, almost completely in white. A pure white. He had the ability to control time, turn it back, and although he didn't do it too often, move it forward. His clear glass monocle he removed with a black glove for a brief moment to clean it off, for the rain had taken its toll on it. He sleeked back his white hair and readjusted the monocle.

"Uck," he muttered under his breath as he reached the top of the tower. "Blasted rain." He was, regrettably to himself, soaking wet. His chains weren't helping to clear off the rain from the rest of his clothing. His snow colored pants had gotten the worst of it. The young man attempted to straighten his collar, and he held some success, though he removed his gloves to better straighten his hair. He just wanted something to go right tonight.

Aeon is this young man's name, and he quite literally, is a keeper of time. He set his weapon to lean on a wall inside the clock tower. He liked living inside this clock tower. It was dry, and it was a way for him to escape. Aeon has a responsibility he wasn't always enthused to keep up with. A keeper of time was given unique powers however those powers, if misused, could turn the entire world into chaos. He had to make sure that anything he did was not going to affect the course of history. Aeon didn't want to effect the future or his own time because of one thing only. Actually, one person. No, not even a person was his sole purpose for such carefulness. The Lord Dracula, a vampire who somehow, no matter who in that Belmont clan destroyed him (or thought they did) for good, he seemed to squirm his way back.

This was an annoyance to Aeon, and he knew that there were plenty of other reasons not to screw up events of past occurrences, but the reminder of Dracula always kept him on his toes. He'd studied multiple historical events just to make sure that when he did go back in time for whatever reason, he knew not to interfere with certain individuals that may become involved with Dracula eventually. Even the mothers of some of the greatest Belmonts he dared not influence.

Today was a different story for Aeon. Nothing had gone as he'd hoped. Not that he'd violated important events or anything, but today just was a downside. What he accomplished in a different time period wasn't as he expected, and he hadn't escaped it without injury, the most noticeable being his wrist. A chain from an opponent had managed to wrap itself around his wrist and the blades attached hadn't been too friendly either. He'd wrapped the wound himself, but the bandage wasn't going to last forever. The second thing that he preferred never happened today was the discovery that his clock blade needed a good sharpening. Sure, it was a small thing, but after slicing through multiple zombies and ghouls, it seemed to be a waste of his precious blade. He'd gotten into a dicey situation, and time travel wasn't his first way out. His energy was down, for time travel consumed much of it.

_Well_, he thought to himself, _at least I'm alive._ That was one good thing about tonight. But, what was he alive for? It was even raining outside, which just happened to be another unfortunate occurrence today. He'd finally gained enough energy to time travel, and when he did, he landed right in the middle of a rainstorm. Excellent greeting home from what he'd just been through prior. Besides life, Aeon wanted something, _anything_ else, to be positive.

He checked his watch, reading it was only eight o'clock at night. His trip to another time had been a total of two days, 17 hours and 58 minutes. _Not bad,_ he thought. He'd never liked to be gone through time for more than a week. For one thing, he didn't have many places to sleep. Usually, he'd find a motel or something, but not all time periods had such a thing. This is why Aeon tried to study history before he took a trip. Though not always did the history he studied match the place he'd traveled to.

Aeon sighed, looking out from the tower at the thunder and lightning coming from the sky. _Such energy_, thought he curiously and fascinated. The forces of nature could catch his eye at times too. As Aeon sat inside the clock tower he was to call his home, he had an idea strike his mind.

He wondered what it would be like to take a trip through time that had nothing to do with his business. What if it was for his amusement and nothing more? As long as he didn't interfere with history too much or alter too many events in significant ways through his once and a while rather rash actions, he could take a trip for the sake of an adventure.

"Perhaps one less violent this time around," he said to himself, creating a small echo from the walls of the clock tower. "Sure, I could get this sharpened, go somewhere drier and maybe have a conversation or two with the commoners." That was something he rarely did, talk to commoners. But really, if he did want anyone to talk to on a trip through time, it almost always was guaranteed to be a commoner. They, after all, had the least influence on history's pathway.

After a rest for another half an hour or so, Aeon took one last glance at the rain outside that was still pouring down pretty harsh. He swung his blade around a few times to get the water off of it, making damn sure that the clock wasn't being affected. Aeon shut his silver pocket watch. He spun his blade's clock at random, not caring where he went to what period in time. As long as it wasn't a year of Dracula, he felt fine about time travel. After analyzing the time his blade told him, and seeing it wasn't a time of Dracula, Aeon took a slice through the air. The clock produced a golden aurora around itself, and Aeon stepped through his new cut in time, waiting to see where his time travel would take him.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two: Synthia**_

Aeon appeared from his slit through time in a back alleyway. His ears picked up the sound of a musical instrument playing not even a block away. Remaining inconspicuous was imperative for a time keeper. He glanced down at himself; his clothing hadn't been questioned so far in all the places where he had traveled. With his clothing, he assumed people merely thought of him in a higher standard or perhaps (depending on the time frame) just an altogether eccentric young man.

Nonetheless of what others thought of him, Aeon stepped out into the streets. He hadn't glanced at his watch to check what time period he was in, but right now, he honestly could have cared less. For the time being, Aeon walked the streets of this time period in this random early evening. The sun had just peaked under the horizon, but as calm as nature had been in the distance, the town he was walking was bustling with all sorts of activity.

There were many shops still open, and the markets were crazy as hell. It had come to Aeon's attention that he hardly received one glance from anyone he passed. He'd only noticed a few fellows bother to glance in his direction and even then, he felt as if they were looking at someone else maybe behind him or over his shoulder.

"How rude," he said to himself. His hazel eyes scanned the perimeter calmly, and he drew his blade back so he could proceed to carry it over his right shoulder. With his left hand, he took out his pocket watch; it was a little after five.

"Hey! Give that back to me!" a voice yelled in the distance, scolding and threatening, enough to make the time keeper turn his head towards the direction of the voice. There was a group of men running away or from something else. Or rather, someone else. The maiden was catching up to the group rather quickly. One man, whom Aeon assumed to be the leader of this pack, held something high up into the air, something Aeon recognized as a crystalized stone in the shape of a diamond. That caught his eye if the shining silver chain hadn't already. The time keeper was officially intrigued, causing him to mover nearer to the situation.

"Catch it if you can," one man taunted, though Aeon believed that man was in no position to say such. He wasn't even holding the necklace. The necklace had Aeon interested somehow. There was a certain something about it that made him want to analyze it closer. Maybe that same something had drove those men to taunt the girl it belonged to.

The girl could not anymore to be considered a girl, though her actions couldn't either be classified as lady-like at all. She kicked the taunting man first in the shin, then right between the legs. Aeon's eyebrow rose in amusement as he watched the man regret his words as his frame hit the rocky road he'd been running on. Aeon wasn't focused on the necklace anymore, but instead on the maiden who seemed to have the passion to kill for it to once again be around her neck. The time keeper clearly saw that this necklace couldn't have been just for the beauty or value. The maiden's eyes flamed with annoyance and irritation.

"Just give it," she said, more calmly than Aeon expected after comparing her expression with her tone. When the leader refused, she took down the others following him, displaying an impressive technique to any passerby who happened to come about the scene. However, Aeon wasn't so elementarily impressed...at least not yet.

The maiden ran up the side of a wall that the leader of the pack had driven her too. Her form was excellent as she pushed herself to backflip, then proceeded to pin the man up against the stones, the necklace still higher than her head. At this point, Aeon was practically forced to look at this maiden closely. Her hair was the first trait that caught his eye. It was black and it was long enough to extend to the waistline of her emerald green dress. Aeon spotted the silver belt as the wind swept her hair back, and her black sandals that had a small heel.

This man had gotten the upper hand to her, switching their positions, and it looked to Aeon like he was choking her. She forced herself an escape though, bringing up her heel to kick him straight in the shin as she did the others. But, this time she didn't kick him in the nuts. No, she went for his face...bull's eye; meanwhile a smile had crept its way across Aeon's. The man turned away from the girl, eyeing him it seemed.

"Face hurt?" the girl asked. "Necklace..._now_, or I'll take it." The man's eyes moved from Aeon back to her. Aeon sensed more danger in him than the maiden seemed to catch onto. His senses proved to be correct as the man suddenly pulled out a whip. This made Aeon almost walk away as he remembered not to associate with Belmonts, but this wasn't the Vampire Killer, nor did the man look familiar at all to Aeon to be from the clan. So he stayed put, but he saw the situation, remembering that this was a girl who was about to get whipped. That was too far. This man was definitely _not_ a Belmont.

"Now hold on a second," Aeon's voice jumped in. Seeing that girl's expression of fear at the sight of that whip, he couldn't help but do something about it. He moved closer, eyeing that man like a hawk the whole time. The man's stare told Aeon he had a secret confession. This man was all talk, and this had been the first time (or the first time in a long time) that he'd actually done such a thing to anyone. But, this reading Aeon got was from way deep down. On the outside, he was interfering in a dangerous situation.

"Who do you think you are?" the man asked, acting rough. Aeon pushed his monocle towards his eye, not saying much.

"What does it matter?" Aeon asked. "I'm just someone who noticed you treating this...woman with disrespect, and that whip tells me you were about to do something you would have regretted."

"Yeah, right. And that giant blade, clock...thing, tells me you're an eccentric son of a bitch, so piss off," the man responded, looking up and down Aeon's weapon. Aeon said nothing after this comment to this man. He just drew up his blade, knowing that no matter what was said between them, it would have eventually resulted to this. Aeon learned to wait, sure enough, but this wasn't something he wished to beat around the bush.

This was how he was to spend part of his vacation, in an argument over a maiden on the streets.

"Oh, you think you can beat me is that it?" the man asked.

"Is there anything I could say to get you to walk away?" Aeon asked.

"No," the man said right out.

"Well then, we have a problem," Aeon responded. "But, I'll let you walk away now, spare you some precious time and a few wounds." He didn't mind boasting once and a while, as long as he could hold himself. The man spat at him though, Aeon jumping back to avoid getting that dreaded saliva on his shoes.

"Piss off," the man said again. "You have no business here."

"I beg your pardon," the time keeper said, making the situation a little more dramatic because he could. Through all of this contradiction, Aeon noted that the girl hadn't left. Then again, the man still had that necklace. Aeon had a few options here. He could end this quickly by using his time powers, then make a fast slash through time and go somewhere else. Or, he could win this fight, possibly sparing the man's life and get this necklace back. Aeon was taking the second option, partially to entertain himself.

The man was quick to attack, shooting straight for Aeon's neck. His blade came up like a reaction. He was expecting that.

"Temper, temper," he spoke, eyeing the necklace. That was his goal really; this man was just making things difficult. _What a pointless task,_ Aeon thought. He had to admit it though, the man held a good punch, especially with the way he snapped the whip. Strong and firm handed. Aeon was knocked up in the air.

"Not good enough," Aeon said as he did a backflip to get a hold over himself. After countless minutes of this, Aeon was getting bored. He thought to just end it. It would be simple enough for him, all he had to do was...

Aeon swept the man from under his feet, and as he was in the air, Aeon snagged that necklace, black gloves a contrast compared to the silver chain. The girl saw his swift, clean snag. She had already been mesmerized by him, and not only because of the glistening clock at the end of his gorgeous blade. His eyes were mysterious to her, which from the way he looked, wasn't a bad kind of mysterious. The white was also quite attractive, but she of course kept all of this to herself. She didn't even know him.

Aeon backed away from the fight, still on guard.

"You coward," the man said.

"More like, I no longer hold a purpose with you," Aeon said, then thinking this man wasn't worth his time. He was rather annoying. The man spotted the necklace now in Aeon's glove.

"Bastard," the man swore, getting to his feet. Aeon said nothing, and the man eyed the maiden sharply and dangerously before taking his leave.

"Um...thanks," the maiden said as Aeon stared at her necklace for a few moments before handing it back to her.

"You're welcome," Aeon replied, lifting his blade over his shoulder again, ready to make off.

"Wait," she said, making him look into her chocolate irises. Now that he was face to face with her, things were different. Aeon felt something strange inside of him, but he shook it off for now. He waited for her to say more, but she seemed hesitant.

"I didn't even get your name," she said. I suppose she did deserve to know at least his name. He did, after all save her from a possible life threatening injury or death.

"Aeon," he said, turning his head slightly away. Her eyes...he couldn't for some reason or another, look into them anymore.

"Synthia," she introduced herself, nodding her head. "And I owe you my life." She fastened the necklace back around her neck where it belonged.

"You owe me nothing," Aeon said, thinking to turn and walk away now. The last thing he wanted was to begin talking about owes and dues. He then proceeded to walk away.

"Will I see you again?" she asked after him.

"There's a chance," Aeon said, looking back. "You never know where time will take you."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three: Something New**_

Aeon walked past the scene he had just dealt with. He casted his thoughts aside even more, for they were becoming highly distracting to him. That girl, Synthia...he had to admit he was impressed; but not out loud of course. For a female, she held herself well. Then that necklace, what was so intriguing about it? Aeon didn't know quite yet. With his blade, Aeon walked along as if nothing had happened.

A sound, subtle but quite ostentatious to him reached his ears. He stopped for a second, discovering food was necessary within the next hour. So, he walked into a butcher shop, being cautious about his white clothing as he stepped forth to claim a roast beef. When he walked out of the shop with his dinner, Aeon sat on a bench, leaning his blade against the bench to show it off. _Like anyone's going to know what it is, _he thought as he let the clock side show. This attracted a few eyes, but not a soul came to ask what his weapon was or what someone like himself was doing in their common village.

He thought about Synthia for a few moments as he ate. Still having no idea what it was about her that made him wonder, the vision of that whip kept returning to his mind. It was disturbing to Aeon the more he thought about it. It slightly angered him that a man would ever do such to a woman, and all over a necklace. Where was he anyway? Before the question was redundant, but now he wished to correct some of the behavior if he could. That was the problem, he had no idea where he was, thus if he was interfering with any sort of historical event he would screw things up. Chaos was never fun to set straight, no matter what he had to do or could do in certain situations.

"Hey," came a familiar voice, female for sure. Aeon looked up, seeing the dusk settling in and Synthia a few feet from him. He'd finished eating by now, but the bone he'd never tossed aside.

"Hello," Aeon replied, not saying much else. For some reason, he found no words around her. Then again, what was there to talk about with someone he just met? She sat down beside him on the bench.

"Um, I don't think you know how important your actions today were for me," she said. Aeon doubted this, for this wasn't anything in history he'd read about. There was nothing about a crystal necklace having a great effect on the time period he actually resided.

"I think I saved your life," he replied, thinking to just go along with whatever she would say. She smirked.

"That you did," Synthia said. "But, this crystal..." she took it out from under her neckline. "is more important to me than you know."

"Then by all means, enlighten me," Aeon said in a monotone. However, Synthia didn't wish to bore him, as it seemed he was enough already.

"There's something about you, Aeon," she spoke gently. "I don't know what it is, but there's something." The time keeper said nothing, but he gathered enough wits in him to face her, actually look into her eyes again. It was then Synthia began explaining the crystal necklace to him. Apparently, the necklace was something the maiden had clearly earned. Someone had given it to her, a master or something, that was willing to train her. That explained her skills in the situation, and Aeon considered correcting her faults in battle, but he felt that this wasn't the appropriate time to do such.

"This necklace is the one thing I value, and I have no idea why James teases me with it all the time," Synthia sighed. "Perhaps he's just jealous."

"James?" Aeon asked in surprise easily visible to her. "You knew that man who brought out a whip to you?"

"Yeah...everyone knows James," Synthia said. "You're not from around here are you? No matter..."

"Has he actually whipped you?" Aeon asked in all sincerity, interrupting her but not without reason. This treatment was beyond him, and if this James had whipped her...Aeon needed to control himself at this point. He didn't hear an answer from Synthia.

"Well, has he?" the time keeper was going to be persistent with this until she said something to him. The look in her eyes told him that James had whipped her, but he wanted to hear her say it.

"Yes," she said very slowly and hesitant. "Why?" Aeon's eyes averted from her once again, and he took a deep silent breath. He was agitated, but for an unknown reason to himself. This James needed to be taught a lesson on manners and a mix of anger management wouldn't be too much to ask for either. If he does things like this, and everyone knows him in this village, it can't be for too many good reasons at all, if any.

"My apologies," Aeon said, more controlled than what he was going through internally at this point in time. This was eating away at him, but saying that he didn't like the thought of her being whipped could be taken the wrong way easily. Caring for stranger wasn't part of Aeon's personality. "James seems to be a threat to your village. Why hasn't he been banished already?"

"Oh," Synthia said. "He's the mayor's son. I swear he gets away with whatever he wants."

"Shame," Aeon said. "I wouldn't mind giving out a lesson or two." Synthia laughed a little at his statement. Her voice was intriguing when she laughed. Aeon already compared it to the whisper of the winds and the soft drafts he felt in the clock tower back in his own time.

"He could use it," she told him. "Well, I'm sorry if I bored you with my dramatic tale."

"It's alright, I wasn't going anywhere else," Aeon replied.

"How'd you get here anyway?" she asked.

"I travel here and there," he said, hoping she wouldn't ask anything more of his travels or life. That was too complicated for now, and as of this moment, Aeon wasn't giving out his trust to anyone, man or woman. Synthia didn't ask anymore questions. She thought perhaps she had already been too much of a burden to him already. But, she didn't want to be. She just wanted to get to know him better than she did now. He interested her, a _lot_.

Synthia had, as she been talking with Aeon, caught sight of his clock blade. It was one of the most beautiful weapons she had ever laid eyes on. The clock at the end was a little inaccurate though, she noted. She took another good look at Aeon. He had not only saved her life; no, he'd done much more than he realized.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing," she said then. "Perhaps I've come off as too nosy. It's just...you intrigue me."

"I haven't seen anyone like you in my lifetime either," he said. Synthia took that at as a compliment, and for once in her life, she felt her face get a little warmer, despite the icy wind that graced her face.

"Well, I'm sorry," Synthia said again. "I'll leave you be then. I'm sure you have other things to do." She was partially right, for this wasn't how he expected his personal trip through time to go. Synthia stood up, smoothing her dress to straighten it up before she walked off to go about the remainder of the evening.

"I suppose I can expect to see you around then...Synthia," Aeon said prior to her departure so she could hear his tone. He wasn't bothered by her, he had nothing else to do, and though she didn't need to know it, he was curious about her too.

She turned around. "Yeah, you may find me if you like."

Aeon watched her leave, wondering what had just happened. The atmosphere had changed in an instant, and now that she left, the night was normal. Aeon wasn't sure whether or not her presence was positive or negative as of right now. He thought perhaps it was best he left this time period for now. Things could get out of hand, but if he had to see James with Synthia again and that whip came out...

The thought consumed his mind and the sight wasn't pretty. Aeon had this urge to defend her, not caring what her skills were. This had never happened to him before. He'd always kept to his own business.

Perhaps this place wasn't the place to be thinking about this. Aeon grabbed his time blade, and he went to the back alleyway. He made sure the coast was clear before the clock glowed gold once more. He sliced the atmosphere, and walked through, sending time forward to his own time: the present. Being able to open doors like he could came across as a comfort, especially as his eyes set back on that clock tower he knew so well.

He needed to think this whole thing over, and most definitely before he went back to that time period, which he finally gotten that information after looking in a few books that he kept up at the tower. He thanked himself for picking the ones he did choose to take with him to the tower, for otherwise, he'd have to make his way to the library. Once he got in there, boy, he wasn't getting out unless the owner kicked him out or he'd found what he was looking for.

But just before he finally laid himself down to rest, an image of Synthia came into his mind as he shut his eyes. Her long, black hair and her dark eyes that were the very definition of perseverance. He liked that about her. Perhaps he liked it more than he'd like to admit.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four: Aeon? **_

Synthia awoke in her bed, feeling completely rejuvenated. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept so well. Her hand brushed to her neck to feel the chain's pattern and the crystal at the very end of the chain. It was then she remembered yesterday, and Aeon...

"Good morning," her friend Marry greeted as she opened the door to her room. "Sleep well?"

"Yea, actually. Very well," Synthia said. "The best sleep I can remember in a long time in fact." Marry's eyebrows came up slightly. Her friend elaborated more than she had expected, and she went back downstairs to get ready for the opening of the inn. Synthia sighed, stretching to wake herself up. Maybe she'd see him today. From what she got out of him yesterday, it seemed he was going to stick around town a while. She had something to maybe look forward to today. Her conscience told her not to get attached to him, for she didn't even know him that well. The emotion was hard to hold back, but it didn't make much sense to her after she thought about how he was merely a man who stood up for her.

What if he didn't show today? Then if James came back, she'd have to hold her ground again...as usual. Aeon was anything but usual to Synthia. She pulled back the covers, and she slipped into a blue dress today, borrowing it from Marry. They shared clothes sometimes just to switch things up. Neither of their wardrobes were large at all, and Synthia thought that if she did run into Aeon, he'd at least see her in something different. She didn't want to come across as poor, though truthfully, that's what she was; there was no denying it. He looked almost wealthy to her. She was surprised he even talked to her yesterday.

Synthia walked swiftly down the stairs that was just outside of her room in the inn, making sure her crystal was safe under the neckline of her dress...well, Marry's dress.

"Well, aren't you a sight today," Marry said as she saw her friend about to step out. "What's the occasion?"

"Um," Synthia stuttered. "N-n-nothing really..."

"You are such a terrible liar," Marry said with a smile on her face. "Maybe I shouldn't ask then. Run along." Marry didn't even acknowledge that it was her dress Synthia was wearing. The two close friends had gotten so used to wearing each other other's clothes it became a more casual thing between them. "Such a terrible liar."

* * *

><p>Aeon felt a small warmth caress his face, and as a result, his left eye came open just a crack to see what was hitting him. The sun was peaking through the horizon. Slowly, he opened his other eye, spying that his monocle was on his lap, exactly where he'd left it last night. On his right side was his clock blade, just as he left it as well. That meant...<p>

"I slept in the clock tower," he told himself, seeing his fur blanket spread out on the clock tower's dirty floor. He cleaned his monocle and examined his clothing: all still white as snow. The time keeper stood up, stretching then swinging his blade a few times. He could never truly wake up without the cool morning breeze that was gliding swiftly outside this morning.

He walked out to see the sunrise, yawning. He felt pretty good this morning, better than he usually did. More energy flew through his veins and as he inhaled the misty morning, the smell of the dew on the morning grass came into his nose. That smell was welcomed by Aeon. Today, he was going to sort a few things out. Yesterday, for example. He needed to get his thoughts together about that. He kept imaging Synthia, still wondering what it was about her that distracted him so.

This feeling was completely foreign to him, thus he hadn't the slightest clue of how to go about it. The more he thought about her, the more he began to notice the details of her. Her hair color, eye color, and even the fact that she had been wearing a green dress yesterday. Aeon never cared about these things with someone other than himself. It had always just been him looking out for himself, there never was any of this thought process of another being before.

Then, Aeon had an idea, though maybe it wasn't the greatest he'd ever come up with. He was about to do something rare, and it was something he in fact, had never done before. Going out of the clock tower was nothing new, he did that enough, it was where he was going.

The time keeper walked through his own town, knowing the person he needed was in the market this afternoon. Rather, located underground in the market square. He couldn't trust anyone else with this sort of topic. Aeon took his clock blade, and thrusted it into the ground next to a certain stone near a tree about a quarter of a mile from the soon to be busy streets.

The ground shook before parting so that one could see that there was an opening large enough for an adult male such as Aeon to enter, which he did swiftly and after his eyes scanned t he perimeter just to make sure no one saw him. Secrecy was important, especially with this situation.

* * *

><p>Synthia wandered the streets of the village, hoping to maybe catch someone she really wanted to talk to. He said he'd be in town for a while, but she realized he never specified where he was staying. She tried the nearest inn, knowing there was another a few blocks away.<p>

"Aeon, you say?" the inn manager said. "Odd name. No, I'd never seen anyone with that name around here." Synthia left to check the other inn, but she had the same luck as the last. Where was he then? If he wasn't staying at an inn where could he possibly stay? Of course, it was probable that he knew someone in the village and was staying with them. She sighed, thinking that was the most likely scenario and because she didn't want to intrude on anyone, she felt that if she ever saw him again, it may only be by sheer circumstance.

After all, she had been lucky the first time, he saved her life. But, he seemed kind of distant to her. That didn't make much sense to her seeing as though he cared enough to interfere. A passerby and most certainly a shy guy wouldn't have stepped up like Aeon did.

Her head hopelessly turned multiple directions, until she saw a white flash of hair.

Her imagination got the better of her, and she ran straight for that person with the short, white hair. He looked tall enough to be Aeon and his clothing changed, as hers had. The blade wasn't with him, but she thought maybe he'd just arrived, so now he kept it at wherever he was staying. Synthia kept running, but she was met with only disappointment.

"Aeon?" she asked, but the man gave no reply as if he hadn't heard a word she'd said. Synthia tried again, but when she saw the man's face, she knew it wasn't Aeon. "Sorry, I mistook you with someone else." She walked back to where she started slowly, wondering where he was. She wanted to be around him and talk with him more, and it was in that moment she realized...

"Oh my God," she told herself in a whisper. "I have a crush on Aeon!"

* * *

><p>"Come in my friend," the low voice said. "I'm glad you could stop by."<p>

"I've come to ask you something," the time keeper said seriously.

"What do you want?" his friend sighed, as if anticipating Aeon's every move. Well, he was about to be contradicted.

"Actually, nothing of material," Aeon said. "I feel insulted, my friend. I have come to ask your...advice."

"_You_ are asking _me_ for _advice_? Did I just hear the word 'advice' come from your mouth?" his friend asked. Aeon sighed, admitting that this wasn't like him at all, but this situation was urgent to him. After his friend ceased laughing at him (mostly), Aeon made his point clear that he wanted this to be a serious conversation.

"Alright, whaddya got?" his friend asked.

"Tell me Alucard, have you ever thought about someone on numerous occasions, some on which you can't explain because it's all so random?" Aeon asked. Alucard stopped cold, eyeing the time keeper. This question was random to the vampire, but he did know how to answer.

"Yes Aeon, I know exactly what you are talking about, though you may not like what I have to say," Alucard said slowly.

"Tell me anyway," Aeon replied.

"You either have a _crush_ on the opposite gender..." he saw his friend's face and just _had_ to add on. "Yes, an actual girl, or you are _in love_ with a girl. I'm going to go with a crush because you aren't the...type...seemingly to settle so easily." The time keeper's head came back slightly, a sound came emitting into the air like a short burst of electricity had just hit him in the chest. He was taking Alucard very seriously.

There's something he could have never predicted.

_A/N: Yes, I have Alucard and Aeon as friends. I think if they sucked it up and put their few differences aside, they'd get along. _


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five: How Do I Say This? **_

"Are you sure?" the time keeper said very slowly. Alucard laughed seeing his friend's expression like this kind of thing could never happen to him.

"Yes Aeon, I'm quite sure," Alucard replied. "I can read your thoughts about this subject through your expression. I've lived too long." The vampire turned around, back to what he was working at before Aeon had even come.

The time keeper almost couldn't believe this; as a matter of fact, he didn't want to even acknowledge his friend's advice, but something about it did make sense. This was only the first day though. _I couldn't possibly fall in love after one day, that certainly cannot be enough time. Why did I even come here? It was kind of rash now that I think about it,_ Aeon thought. Another image of Synthia came to his head, causing him to shake his head. He didn't want to think about this anymore.

Alucard took note of his friend. "Yes, she will consume the majority of your thoughts, including images. What's even worse is the part when you have to control yourself around her. Now that's a hard thing to do, my friend."

"W-what?" Aeon asked in a higher voice, eyes widened a little more than before. He couldn't believe what Alucard was telling him! "Control myself?"

"Uh yeah, you wanna kiss her, right?" Alucard asked, but when he saw Aeon's blank face, the vampire realized it hadn't been too long since he and this girl met. "Oh...sorry, well there's a newsflash for you, you'll have the desire to kiss her, no matter what's going on around both of you."

"She's from a different time than I," Aeon said. "A relationship shouldn't be possible. I could alter too much."

"Well," Alucard said, setting down his work and looking to Aeon. "from the looks of it, you have never heard of this girl before. So, she's not in the books, thus I think we both know she must be a commoner. And, you're a time traveler...believe me, the relationship works."

The time keeper went over to a bench and sat down cross-legged, one hand coming up to support his head. Alucard smirked; he was enjoying this.

"I've never had this happen before," he rambled on to himself. Alucard saw this as a time to be more sincere than anything. Aeon had come to him initially for help and he had to admit, he was being a bit of an ass about it all.

"Relax," Alucard said finally after hearing his friend blab to himself for a few more minutes. "Just be yourself. If she really likes you, then she might as well like the real you."

That was the matter that Aeon was fussing over, though it would have been the most logical place to start. He was more worried about his occupation as a time keeper and traveler. This was constantly requiring all his attention. There was always something in history he was checking up on or changing in a small way, and throughout his travels, Aeon even gathered some clues about Dracula and how to defeat him for good with just one shot.

"Alucard, you have been most helpful to me," Aeon said. "Though my true problems must be laid to rest as I solve them. Thank you for your help." Aeon rose to his feet, standing as if none of this had ever occurred. At this, the vampire became more vigilant and cautious, Something wasn't setting right with him.

"You stand as if you already know what you are going to do about it, or maybe as if it never happened," Alucard stated plainly. Aeon sighed, put a hand on his friend's shoulder, and looked into his eyes.

"I can only estimate properly to whether she likes me or not if I go back," the time keeper said. "Farewell Alucard. I'll see you soon enough." With that, Aeon took his leave.

His body emerged from the earth and back to the grass. The sun had risen higher, but the dew of the morning remained on the grass blades. Everything would be alright for him. The time keeper debated on when to go back. Internally, though he wouldn't tell anyone else, he was actually a little nervous to go back. What if she didn't like him the way he thought he liked her? And, even if they did resume some kind of relationship, how would he ever explain his occupation?

The sun made its way to hit his back now, and he figured it was now or never. He took the opportunity.

* * *

><p>Synthia was slightly confused. Where could he be? He didn't seem like the type of guy to sleep in, not at all. She'd been for once keeping an eye out for someone who wasn't going to rob or harm her in any way. In fact, she couldn't wait to see Aeon.<p>

After her morning lookout, she went back to Marry in somewhat of a down mood.

"Didn't see your prince charming, Synthia?" Marry asked when Synthia walked in and sat down on the sofa in the waiting room. The inn wasn't open for another hour, for today they were starting later because of this morning's traffic in the markets. It was always this bad on Mondays.

"Oh hush Marry, I don't even know if he likes me or not," Synthia said, a little snippy, but Marry was used to this. Not on the subject of a man however.

"Yet you still dress up nicely," Marry said, shaking her head. "I'll never understand you sometimes Synthia. What's his name again?"

"Aeon," Synthia responded in a low mood.

"Interesting name," Marry said, getting ready for the day.

"Why thank you," a voice came from the doorway, making Marry jump from being freaked out and Synthia look up at once to see...Aeon standing right in the front of their waiting room, wearing the same thing he had yesterday and still carrying that blade around.

"My goodness, Sir, you scared me half to death!" Marry said. "We don't open for another hour!" Synthia was in somewhat of a state of shock. Just when she thought he wasn't around, there he stood. How'd he even get in here?

"My apologies, then," Aeon said. "You must be Marry. A kind gentlemen told me about your business here, and seeing as though I may need an alternative place to reside, I have considered your business."

Marry was in pure shock, though not as much as Synthia was. He looked so...aristocratic to her, like he should be residing in a castle, not Marry's Inn. The monocle made him look like he was some kind of genius or that he was involved with some kind of political matter, but that was way off the mark of who Aeon truly was.

"Well," Marry said. "I'll help you as soon as I can. Did I leave the front door open or something?"

"Yes, you must have. That would be how I got in," Aeon said, lying through his teeth, though he really made sure to open the front door to prove his case. In fact, he knew his whole alibi for this was a bunch of bullshit. Some of it was true, he did ask someone in the streets (which he noted was terribly crowded for this time of the morning), but he got in his own way. He had seen Synthia sitting there on the sofa and when Marry left, it was just them.

"I...I can't believe this, what a coincidence," Synthia stuttered.

"I'm actually glad I found you here," Aeon said, walking nearer to where she sat. His face showed he was calm, and the blade didn't scare Synthia one bit. His eyes were too distracting to her for her to even notice the blade after two seconds. "I've been meaning to talk to you."

"You-you have?" she asked, moving over to let him sit beside her. He nodded.

"Forgive me if I seem quiet about this..." he began, but he found that he had no idea how to tell her about his feelings. Hell, he couldn't even tell Alucard about his feelings. He was afraid to say them right out if the outcome was rejection. He was hoping to form some kind of plan before he'd even arrived, but the inn was closer than he expected. Not that he would have really thought out a plan on how to tell her anyways, one that would be good enough and to get his point across anyway. He hadn't said anything for many minutes now, and Synthia was concerned.

"Aeon?" she asked, making his head come up. "Are you okay?"

"No, not until I get this out. How do I say this?" he asked more to himself than to Synthia. He couldn't believe he was speechless this way. Moments of tense suspense passed between the two as Aeon tried to find the words he needed.

"How would you respond if I were to tell you that I want to get to know you better?" the time keeper asked.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six: Already? **_

Marry took a deep breath, trying to relax. She'd left the front door open, so God knows what or who else could have gotten in. She closed the door and she went to her desk, preparing for any new residents and to make sure those who were scheduled to leave actually did, so she could cross their names off her list. She added Aeon's name to that list, but she'd have to ask how long he'd be staying. Now that she saw this Aeon Marry had to admit, Synthia didn't choose too badly. He looked rich was all she noted upon his entrance, and money was something anyone in this place could go for. But, that blade gave her some suspicion.

The inn keeper shook her head to rid of such thoughts. She would welcome any business she could get. They all pay so unless they're really obnoxious or don't follow the general rules, she was taking the business and money. Aeon seemed like a quiet guy to her anyway.

"Not bad Synthia, not bad at all," she told herself as she watched the clock strike ten and a bell ring loud and clear. In response, she opened her doors, and the inn became bustled with activity.

* * *

><p>Synthia was shocked at what Aeon had just said to her, or rather, asked her; but she wasn't afraid to give a response.<p>

"I would say I'd like the same," she said, being as calm as possible. Her self control wasn't failing her now. She saw Aeon smirk before he whipped back his hair and cleared his throat.

"Good," was his response and he realized he didn't have much else to tell her, so he found a distraction which wouldn't hurt to finish at the moment. "I should probably cheek with Marry about my dwellings around here then." With that, he got up to make his way to the front desk where the place was full of activity since his clock struck ten.

A man was checking out, and with his bags in hand, Marry was making sure he had the help he needed after she wrote a few things down. When she came back in, Aeon was waiting for her.

"Ah, Aeon. Staying for how long?" Marry asked as she came behind the desk again as she probably would multiple times today. Aeon thought for a minute before answering, careful of his word choice.

"Let's say, oh, put down a month for now," he said. Marry's eyes widened. A month seemed perhaps longer than she thought, at least, for what Aeon would care to stay around for. Unless someone like Synthia had anything to do with his time here, Marry thought he'd be busy with other matters._ Perhaps I'm too stereotypical,_ she thought.

"For now?" she asked as she recorded the information. "You have only an estimate?"

"Yes, I wish to see how time treats me. I will let you know if I change my mind, and I must warn you," Aeon said as Marry stopped her work after his pause so she looked him straight in the face.

"I'm out and about quite often. Just in case I don't show up for a few days. I'll come back, I'd either be out on business or...yeah, let's just stick with business." Marry found this to be somewhat eccentric for him to say, but at least he had the curtesy to warn her about his habits.

"Alright then," Marry said after a few seconds, for this was unexpected to her. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Aeon. Your room is on the second floor, first one on the right." Marry gave him the room key, which he gently placed into his pocket. Synthia overheard this, and she became a little more excited. A month was a good chunk of time in her book.

Aeon took out the cost for the hotel, which was way more than enough, and Marry's eyes grew wider; she was about to protest that he take back some of that change...

"Keep the change. If I stay longer then I'll need it," he said, turning around and walking upstairs.

"What the hell just happened to me Synthia?" Marry asked. Her friend was in almost as much shock as she.

"He just _over_paid you," Synthia said smiling, as if the sentence was so unlikely to say. It _was_ unlikely to say. After all, he _really_ overdid it.

Aeon opened the door to his temporary second room, wondering if he may have given Marry one or two too many gold coins. _Ah well_, he thought as he detached his clock blade from his person and sat on the bed. It was quite comfortable, in fact the entire room he couldn't complain about. He'd have definitely got his money's worth if he would have paid the regular price.

Anyway, now that Synthia had given him the answer he wanted to hear, he wasn't sure of what to do next. Maybe he was taking too many steps ahead of himself. Perhaps if he really got his priorities straight he'd have a better idea on where to go with this...relationship, some might call it. He had to remember his number one task: being both a keeper and traveler of time to make this world seem a bit less horrible than what it really is. He was constantly changing little events that had such little impact on the course of history, but it was just enough to have such an impact to change the lives of some. He preferred to be seen to the people he interacted with as a mysterious but not adversarial man.

"I should go out then," he said to himself. Air might be just the thing he needed to think everything over. He didn't want to do anything he would later regret. Time is after all, unreliable when it came to a memory. It may pull through, and it may not. Aeon wasn't taking any chances. He sat on that bed for a while, thinking that tonight it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if he slept in it. Yes, he was coming back for certain.

He got up, clock blade back chained back to his silver ring of other keys (he put the hotel key on it as well), and just as he opened the door, Synthia stood as if she were about to knock. He startled her.

"Aeon," she said. "Off already?"

"Getting some air," he replied simply, hinting slightly that he'd like to be alone for the time being.

"Oh, alright," Synthia said, stepping aside to let him by. "See you around then."

"See you later," the time keeper said, and if he got everything straightened out, that statement was one he could keep to, and one he wanted to keep to.

He walked swiftly down the wooden stairs and opened the front door, inhaling the scent of...

Burnt metal?


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven: Hello Again...I Think**_

Aeon followed that repulsive order and was led to a logical place for such a smell to emit from. A blacksmith's shop was what the time keeper waltzed into, and as he looked around, he noticed the source for the whole thing...the owner immersed in smoke.

"Difficulties this morning?" Aeon asked as the man tried to get himself together. A fire had started in the shop which overheated the metal and when water was thrown on it too late, the smell was quite ostentatious. The man jumped at Aeon's voice and turned around.

He quickly situated himself and the smoke, airing the metal out the window.

"Apologies my good man," the blacksmith said rather cheerfully. _He doesn't know who he's talking to_, Aeon thought silently of course. The time keeper let his blade do the talking for him. He set it down so the blacksmith could see it, hoping to converse with him about something worth while.

"There's something I've never seen before," the man said, his eyebrows lifting. "You make that one?'

"As a matter of fact, I did," Aeon replied. "Do you have the ability to hone my most precious craftsmanship?"

"Of course," the blacksmith told him, clearing his throat and suddenly sounding serious. "If I may..." The time keeper gave up his blade from his belt, laying it on the table before the blacksmith. He analyzed the blade, giving a nod and a promise to sharpen it. Aeon, despite the man's offer to do it for free because of the awful scene Aeon had to endure walking in, set down a few silver coins.

"When do you want the blade back?" the man asked, looking up from the blade.

"As soon as possible," Aeon said. "I accomplish much with it. You can deliver it to Marry's Inn when you're done. Thank you."

"No, thank _you_," the man said. "By the way, my name's Joseph Smiddy. Most jus' call me Smiddy though."

"I see," Aeon said. "Well, my name is Aeon, and I must be off."

"Thanks for the business," Smiddy said before Aeon shut the door behind him.

_That was not at all what I expected,_ Aeon was talking to himself through his thoughts again. He found a quieter place at the edge of the town, where he sat down on a bench, feeling what was like not having his sword with him. It felt eccentric, and though Aeon could handle himself just fine, he'd utilized that blade almost every time he was forced to fight. Now if he got into one, things would be different.

But the topic of brawl wasn't what consumed his thoughts. The whole purpose of this stroll was so he could think about Synthia. He wanted to do something about the situation. She'd already agreed to get to know him better, which in truth, made him very nervous and a little excited.

He hadn't experienced nervousness in a _long_ while, and a girl had enticed it out of him. Aeon enjoyed talking with her, if he could find anything interesting to say excluding his occupation or what he did in the majority of his free time. Two of the more common topics to start a conversation when getting to know someone. He supposed he could mention Alucard, just leaving out the fact he was from a different time, not to mention the son of Dracula. Nah, he'd leave the details out until things between them, if they ever did, got serious.

* * *

><p>After thinking about how to explain his occupation to her if she ever asked, Aeon stood up, looking at the time on the large clock in the town square. He'd been out on this "walk" for about two hours now. He walked along the busier side of town until he spotted a familiar face, one he'd rather not see. It was that James kid, and he was walking closer to him. Aeon was merely walking on as if he didn't notice James. However James would always be in the corner of his eye, and he realized quickly that James might kill him in the middle of town without a care in the world.<p>

It was only when James was within a few feet from him that he noticed the knife, and Aeon stopped cold, acting as if he'd heard something.

"Boo!" James yelled, but Aeon did a backflip. Before landing, he punched James square in the right shoulder more so as a taunt, laughing his sly laugh as he landed. James was nothing more than a foolish boy to Aeon. That punch riled the boy up, and he came back at Aeon with the knife, but Aeon knew exactly how to make this go his way, and they were not but a block from the mayor's office...

Aeon ran, taunting James to make sure the boy didn't remember his own town or where he was being led to. James chased after Aeon, and the time keeper thought that perhaps for this battle, his weapon wouldn't be needed. _The mayor will scold him, but that won't be enough,_ Aeon thought.

Aeon learned well enough through the ages that the punishment of thought was always worse than any physical pain or scolding coming from a higher power. However, the mental punishment only worked if one had the right personality, and James probably didn't have that personality. He saw that when some people knew what they had done was wrong yet they had done it anyway, they felt so horrible inside they punished themselves by thinking about their actions more and more often until frustration had consumed them. Aeon also saw this punishment as a miracle. Those people really thought about their actions more clearly, and almost ever time he'd seen this, they never did whatever it is they had done again.

Aeon had gone through this mental punishment himself...the minute he accepted the occupation of a time keeper. He had to watch everyone around him die as he kept living. He thought about this quite often, but by now, Aeon knew he couldn't turn back that clock. he couldn't go back to that moment in his own life when he accepted the position. He had to wait and pass down his occupation when he was defeated in battle or ended his own life. He'd never gone to such extremes but he'd seen others who had.

Scolding does the trick too sometimes, and that's how Aeon saw James receiving any kind of lesson for what he's been doing lately. Not that James would listen to that scolding. James threw the knife, barely missing Aeon's shoulder as he whipped around a corner, snapping Aeon out of his thoughts. Aeon then drew the small dagger from his own pocket, but James had another in his hand by the time the time keeper had his up to defend himself.

The fight was small, and all Aeon did was defend and watch as the youth made a complete fool out of himself. People came from the stands to watch this in the middle of the square where Aeon had led James. James was clearly the more violent of the two of them, Aeon was making sure everyone saw that.

He shoved James to the side on another swing.

"You couldn't hit a target with that kind of mindset," Aeon said aloud. James swung again. "Temper, Temper. Calm down." James wasn't going to calm down, so Aeon swung him out from under his own legs and pinned him to the dirt.

"What would killing me do for you?" the time keeper asked.

"Another pest out of my way!" James yelled as he got out of Aeon's hold, but was pinned again to the dirt. This time harder. This was all a trap, and James was falling right into it, exactly the way Aeon wanted him to down to the last step.

"Well now, I don't believe I did much to you," Aeon replied as James got up, dirt on his face and clothes. "I don't even know your name."

"Go to hell!" the mayor's son exclaimed.

"Oh, I've been there already," Aeon replied. "And you're about to be..."

The door to the main building in the center of town thrusted open as if the wind forcefully swung it open. The hand of the official was pale white while his face was turning mahogany. This was an embarrassment.

"James!" the official said in an angry yet controlled voice. The youth looked around now and saw what was going on. That was when it sunk in what kind of trouble he was about to be in, especially since he picked a fight with Aeon. He turned around to see his father, the mayor of this town, glaring in a threatening way. "What is going on? Why do you fight with this man?"

"He's been a problem to me," James replied, but Aeon was better than this, if the looks of him didn't have the crowd making that assumption about him as well.

"What has he done?" the mayor asked. "to make you two fight so?"

"He's terrorizing our town! He sneaks into buildings and does who knows what. Last night, he got into Marry's Inn somehow without a key," James replied. Aeon was a little surprised this kid had spotted him, but the only arrogant part was that he had no proof of this event. The mayor had a surprising look on his face as he turned to Aeon. The mayor had to believe his son, so Aeon had to stand for himself.

"If I may intervene here," Aeon said, seeing that this would take up some time to resolve. "My name is Aeon, and I just arrived here a few days ago. I'm a traveler you see and my business involves many people. If I may tell my side of this."

"Please do," the mayor said, silencing James' protest.

"Alright, I had simply been walking around town, getting some morning air, and out of the corner of my eye, I see this boy here, ready to come at me with a knife. I was just defending myself," Aeon said. The mayor sighed.

"I shall talk with you later," he said, but he then glared at James. "You and I need to have a serious chat!"

"Thank you, Mr. Mayor. You may find me at Marry's Inn if you like. I do not know what the boy is talking about. I do not sneak around places at night and without a key...why, it's pretty difficult to enter a locked inn," Aeon said. He was excused from this, and he left, a smirk in his mind. _He deserved it_.

* * *

><p>Back at the inn, Marry greeted Aeon with a surprise.<p>

"Smiddy just came by but not even ten minutes ago. He dropped off your sword," she said, gesturing to the side of her desk where his blade sat rightly up. It had even been polished.

"Well, that was swift. I dropped it off only a few hours ago," Aeon said more to himself, but Marry heard him all the same.

"Oh yeah, Smiddy's the best in town. Fast with his work he is," Marry said. Aeon lifted his blade up, taking a close look at the fine craftsmanship done to his blade. That was a shine and sharpness the kings could be proud of.

"He'd make a lot in the city," Aeon inquired.

"Yeah, but he likes it here," Marry said. "Thinks city life's too crowded for him, so he says."

"Understandable," Aeon said. "Do you know where I can find Synthia?" Marry smiled at that. Synthia had been moping around the inn all morning.

"In her room I suppose," Marry suggested and Aeon headed for the stairs.

* * *

><p><em>Knock Knock.<em> The door creaked open, revealing Synthia in a long dress as always. She smiled, seeing it was Aeon.

"Come in," she invited, opening the door wider as he stepped inside. Her room was colorful to his surprise. The amount of purple was perhaps a bit much but matched with the rest of the room all the same. Synthia sat down on the bed, motioning for Aeon to join her. The bed was the only really suitable place to sit in the room. The rest was furniture and the small closet toward the back of the room.

"I decided to teach that James kid a lesson this morning," Aeon said smoothly.

"Really? You ran into him?" Synthia gasped. She wished to know more, but Aeon silenced her on the subject.

"That's not what I came to talk about," he said, more serious this time. "I wanted to talk to you more on a personal level, if I may put it in such a way. You seem...interesting to me." Synthia was accustomed to being anything but interesting. As far as she was concerned, her life was vastly boring. She didn't really do much all day except help Marry so she could keep living at the inn. Aeon seemed far more interesting to her than herself.

"I could say the same about yourself," she said calmly. "I don't do much with my life, to be honest. I work for Marry so I can live where I do. The rest is me trying to make ends meet. This isn't unusual though in this village."

She noticed Aeon was listening to every word she spoke, which was a new feeling for Synthia. Even Marry sometimes didn't grasp everything she'd said, which was once and a while an issue, but the way Aeon was looking at her made her feel somewhat awkward.

"Once and a while, I'll go down the blacksmith's. My father used to be very good friends with Smiddy, but after he died I was on my own. Smiddy's been a great friend, but he can only do so much."

"So, you've been on your own for how long?" Aeon asked, trying to keep himself from asking too many questions at once.

"Oh, for about...seven years now," Synthia answered.

"If I am permitted to ask what happened to your mother?" Aeon asked.

"Died giving birth to me, at least that's what I'm told," she said. Aeon gave her a questioning look. It sounded to him as if she didn't believe a word she'd just told him in her last response. He wasn't going to question her though. He'd already asked probably too much. He still wasn't sure about getting attached to her yet, as much as his instincts wanted to. Alucard was right about that part.

"Well, what about you?" Synthia asked, breaking Aeon's train of thought. "What do you do with your life?" Aeon wasn't too sure he should tell her just yet, but he didn't want to lie either.

"Most of my life has been traveling," he told her. "As far as work is concerned, I'll do whatever I must just so long as I don't need to wake up at ungodly hours of the day or night. I'm on vacation as of late, you could say."

"I thought you still had work," Synthia said.

"Not much, I'm trying to lay off for a while. Stress gets to me sometimes," Aeon inquired. "As you probably have seen I take my weapons seriously." He gestured to his room where his clock blade was laying beside his bed. They couldn't see into the room but Aeon knew that was where it was.

"You've been successful," Synthia sighed. "Not much of that happens around her. Your status is surprising to most people around here, so I've heard in the village. No one is that lucky."

"I wouldn't say I'm 'lucky'...I've merely got friends in the right places," Aeon said. _Good,_ he thought, _I'm not lying but I'm not giving her the full truth at the same time. Can't be too bad._

"Speaking of your weapon, I've noticed your clock is a little eccentric. I didn't want to say anything before, but now I'm sure I'm not seeing things. I've been meaning to ask," Synthia said confidently

"What is it?" Aeon asked.

"It has a thirteenth hour on it," she said, lifting an eyebrow. "Last time I checked, the clock only goes up to twelve..." Aeon had a cover for this.

"It's merely a distraction. When my opponents see the clock on my blade, they presume it to be an accurate reading, as they should. If the fight lasts long enough, they see the 13th hour, it confuses them for a little while. Sometimes enough to distract them for a moment. In battle, a moment is a long time," Aeon explained rather quickly.

"However, this is not adequate talk for us right now. I'm trying to get to know you, and you are trying to get to know me. Let us speak about other matters, such as..."

"Oh, you can talk to me about weapons. I don't mind that at all...perhaps I'm strange like that," she replied.

"Okay then," Aeon said. "Weapons then. I could go on about that for a while."

Aeon didn't want to explain his work to her now. He wanted to tell her about that part of himself later, after they got to know each other better than this. Now simply wasn't the best time. He just had to make sure that time would come when he wanted it to.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: I've Never Done This Before**

"Well? What were you two talking about?" Marry was begging Synthia to fill her in on the details of what had just happened. Synthia went downstairs after Aeon left for his room.

"Nothing much Marry. It was just talk mostly," Synthia said.

"You mean you didn't kiss him yet?" Marry said, and Synthia, at that comment, gave her friend a rather surprising stare.

"Wha-what?" she gasped. "I've never...no!" Marry knew Synthia had never kissed a man before, for she never was the most popular girl around the village. Still, Marry asked.

Synthia sighed. "He didn't really say much about himself either. He's not as open as I thought," she said. Marry apologized for asking and being so nosy before she went back to work until closing time that day.

Synthia caught some fresh air after dinner, walking about the village. She ran into Smiddy and ended up at his shop.

"You sharpened Aeon's sword correct?" she asked as Smiddy hung up the keys to his shop.

"Yeah, why?" he asked.

"Did you...notice anything funny about the clock on the end of his blade?"

"I didn't look, sorry," Smiddy replied.

"Well, if I'm not seeing things or mistaken, it has a thirteenth hour on it," Synthia said, her eye narrowing. "Is that not strange?"

Smiddy smoldered his fire; tomorrow he would be up bright and early to relight it. He turned back to face her. "That is a bit strange. Who needs an extra hour in a day?"

"He said it was a battle strategy to throw his opponents off. I'm having a hard time believing that," she confessed.

"Your point is?" Smiddy asked, not liking where this was going at all. From the tone of her voice, it seemed to him like she wanted...

"I want you to help me do some digging," she said. Smiddy sighed.

"What? Why? Don't go getting into other people's business Synthia, it leads to nothing but trouble. Trust me," he said.

"I just need to know why. Just do some research, see if anyone's ever heard of such a strategy for combat or something... Please, do this for me," Synthia begged.

Smiddy wasn't so sure about this, but he agreed nonetheless to help her. "But, you get into trouble, you're on your own. I will deny anything you say I did for you."

"Deal," she replied, and the matter was settled. She left the blacksmith's, walking once again back to Marry's Inn.

* * *

><p>"Ah, Synthia," a familiar voice called out in the twilight of the evening. "Glad I found you." It was Aeon, in red apparel this evening but still with white hair. <em>He's been looking for me?<em> she thought to herself. That's never been said to her before, much less often has she ever thought about a guy looking for her.

"You were looking for me?" she asked, turning around to see Aeon coming up beside her.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I was," he told her. "Would you mind going up to my room? I'll be there in a few moments, I just have to weave around something, if it could be put that way." Synthia was slightly confused. Nothing Aeon had just told her made any sense, but she still walked inside the inn and up to his room like he asked. The door was open, and she waited for him.

The clock blade came in through the window, surprising Synthia to half her death. Aeon followed his blade, and he shut the window behind him.

"Whew, that was a first, and probably not a last," he said as he turned around, looking at the door. "Oh thank God, you shut it." He went over to the door and locked it, making Synthia a bit weary of him.

"And why exactly did you come through the window?" she asked. None of this was fitting together correctly in her mind.

"To get away from Marry, to keep her from spotting me," Aeon replied in a relaxed tone, making Synthia laugh softly.

"What? I swear she stalks me. Wants to know what's going on with me every second I'm here. No time alone." This made Synthia laugh more but she calmed herself, informing Aeon that that's how Marry usually is anyway, whether he was staying here or not.

"Well," he said, walking closer to her. "It's simply annoying."

"She's just checking in," Synthia said. Aeon came to be a few inches from her.

"Sometimes, I don't want her to. It will prevent me from doing things I want to do which include privacy," Aeon told her.

"And what could you possibly do that would requ-" Synthia began her sentence but she never got the chance to finish. Aeon cut her off...with his mouth. His arms embraced her waist as he pulled her closer to him, kissing her with almost everything he had. Her arms circled his neck, for she figured they had no where else to go. This encouraged him to deepen the kiss, not that Synthia was objecting to his actions. Aeon tightened his grip around her, completely lost until she pulled away. He then realized his eyes had been closed, so he opened them to see her staring at him.

"Oh! Was that out of line...? I'm terribly sorry, that wasn't being a gentlemen rightly so. Are you-" This time, _she_ cut _him_ off, figuring it was the only way to get him to stop talking. It was working so far for her. She felt him relax and lean into her, his arms still around her waist.

This one she held for a longer period of time, which led to his grip once again tightening and more passion releasing from him. Synthia heard a moan come from the back of her throat. At first, it was a little embarrassing, but it didn't matter now that it had already escaped her lips. His kiss was mesmerizing to her, and she felt like everything that was happening was all just a dream. She didn't want it to be over, whatever she was dreaming.

When they let go of the kiss, she found that none of it was a dream at all. It was all really happening. That both excited her and made her a little weary. Aeon kissed her in his room, good thing. Why he locked the door was still a mystery to her.

"Why'd you lock the door then?" she asked, still in somewhat of a daze, as was Aeon.

"To prevent interruption," he replied quietly.

"I've never done this before you know," Synthia said.

"Well, that makes two of us," Aeon said, however that was a fact she almost thought was too good to be true. He was an excellent kisser for never having been in a relationship before. Synthia left Aeon's room, the lock she found out wasn't to keep her there, and she went back to her own room.

Neither of them could fall asleep right away, and rightly so.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Synthia was up late, and she only knew that because the inn was already quiet, so that meant that morning traffic and anyone who had to leave the inn was already gone by now. Marry was awake too by now. She came downstairs to see her friend and Aeon. He seemed like he was just heading out, and Marry was carrying on with usual work. She let herself go unnoticed by Aeon as he left the inn, but Marry noticed her before she got out the door.<p>

"Did you see Aeon come back last night?" Marry asked, but it sounded as though she was wondering it more than asking her like he and her had been up to something together.

"No, why?" Synthia lied, but she held this one better than the others.

"Well, I was up pretty late last night, and I never saw him come back, I was just wondering if I had just missed him or something," she replied.

"Nope, maybe he had a late night too," Synthia said, suppressing the yawn back to her throat and managing to keep it there until it vanished. "Well, I gotta meet Smiddy this morning. See you later Marry."

"Alright bye," she said before Synthia walked out of the inn on a mission to the blacksmith's.

* * *

><p>The second she entered Smiddy's, she knew something was up. The blacksmith, with no customers yet, dashed over to her.<p>

"You are not going to believe what I found out," he said.

"What, is it about the clock's thirteenth hour?" Synthia asked.

"It's about _way_ more than that," Smiddy whispered, and he walked over to his sign that read 'open' to the public and flipped it around. He led her to the back of the shop where he lived and into his study where there was a book lying on a desk with pages marked. Smiddy sat down and asked that Synthia do the same.

"What? What is it? What'd you find?" she asked, getting more and more impatient by the second. Smiddy flipped the pages until he ceased to look at one.

"That Aeon, he has no ordinary weapon. That clock is special, having a thirteenth hour on it...only one kind of person has that, and they are the stuff of legends," Smiddy said, still shocked that such a person could have met Synthia.

"Well, what?" she asked, wanting a straight answer from him.

He leaned in so only she could hear, despite the fact that the room was empty except for them.

"He's a time traveler...a keeper of time..._the_ time keeper."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Why Didn't You Tell Me? **

"No! Impossible!" Synthia gasped. "You mean to tell me that Aeon is the keeper of time, and he never told me?"

"There's a good reason," Smiddy said. "I wouldn't just give that information out. Only the keeper of time has a thirteenth hour on his clock. I'll bet money that pocket watch of his is the same way."

"Why? What's with the thirteenth hour?" she asked.

"Time travel," Smiddy said. "look here." He pointed to the book where it was written that the thirteenth hour was for time travel. The time keeper used it to set right small things that would make no significant difference in history, but make the world a seems better than what it actually was. If he altered something large that impacted history, he could be punished and alter events that were for good, which would then make them bad. This was especially true for going very far back.

Synthia couldn't believe this. This was a major discovery, and they couldn't have anyone else knowing about Aeon like that. It would cause a panic, and people would wonder if they were safe or not in the village. Synthia knew Aeon didn't mean any harm. If he did, the damage would already be done and he'd be long gone. He wouldn't have stopped to help her the day they met if he meant harm.

"I wonder what time he's from then," she asked out loud. "His clothing isn't too out of style, but maybe that's what he always must wear."

"Ah!" Smiddy said. "If he's from another time, he knows what happens to us, that includes the vampires...Dracula." Synthia gasped, knowing her friend was right. Aeon could know so many things, and that was most likely one of the things he had to deal with. The vampires and the Belmonts who fought to destroy them. They kept coming back, and Aeon would know when they returned next. When Dracula struck again. They all live in fear and he knows when the next uprising will be. That, in a way, made her a little angry.

"He knows such a thing and he doesn't tell us," Synthia said, getting fumed.

"For a good reason," Smiddy said, trying to calm her. "If we knew when they struck, then we'd be ready. Someone who didn't die in the battle may die if we were ready and vic versa, or something like that. He'd be altering the events too much. Mankind may live for a long time, making how we live now ancient. We don't know. And it's best..."

"That you don't play with my fires," another voice came, high above in the rafters. The two looked up, and there was Aeon sitting comfortably above them, jumping down to their level.

"Spying now?" Smiddy asked, a little uncomfortable.

"Eves dropping, I considered it," the time keeper replied. "Now you know my secret."

"It's quite the secret," Smiddy said definitely.

"And now I have to trust that you two keep this a secret," Aeon said, a little bored. "I have no other choice. I need to blend in around here so that people don't panic about who I am, or why I'm here."

"Why are you here?" Smiddy asked.

"Vacation merely," Aeon replied honestly. "I thought I'd travel back in time to when certain aspects didn't apply and that I could live comfortably."

"Must be nice," Synthia said, not meaning to be snobby. Aeon looked at her, hints of apology within his hazel irises.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but it was for a good reason. I'm not supposed to be known for what I am, and if you knew..." he began.

"I get it," Synthia answered. "it's fine, but you were acting so weird, and I just wanted to know why. Seems I just got a little more than what I bargained for, that's all."

"Look, I would have told you eventually," Aeon said. Smiddy interrupted the moment, announcing that his work was done here, and he went back to opening up the shop for business while Synthia and Aeon made their way back to Marry's Inn.

* * *

><p>"You're sticking around then for another month... it wasn't because of business or that you knew someone then?" Synthia asked inside the inn.<p>

"That is correct," Aeon admitted a little ashamed. He didn't like it that she found out about him this way. It was bound to come out eventually.

"So, when you leave," she said in a melancholy tone. "I may never see you again."

"This is not true," Aeon corrected her. "I can come back when ever I have the time. I know I shouldn't be saying such a phrase but it's true. My work is with time, and I must keep it balanced. I haven't had a vacation in a while so I can stay for a while yet."

"You're staying because of me then?" Synthia asked, looking up at him.

"Yes, that would be my purpose for staying," Aeon replied, taking one of his gloved hands to trace her face with it. He noticed the tear falling from her left eye, and his finger swept it away.

"It'll be alright though. I do not have to leave for a while. We can enjoy this time that we have together," Aeon added. She nodded, knowing now that one day he could be here and the next he won't. That made her emotions remain neutral. She valued him more now, but the day when he would leave she knew would come too quickly for her liking.

"I still wish you would have told me," she said. "But, I understand why you didn't."

"I can't do anything about it now," Aeon said. "Come on, let us walk around town."

As they made there way down the stairs, they heard Marry talking with someone, and when they reached the bottom of the stairs, Aeon gasped.

Alucard stood at the bottom of the stairs, talking with Marry, and Aeon knew exactly how he got there.

"Hey, Aeon!" Alucard greeted. "I was hoping to find you here."

"Alucard," Aeon said. "You followed me."

"Just wanted to see what you were up to," he said, and he gave Aeon a fast wink of his right eye. They had some discussing to do.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Alucard, You Suck**

Aeon shut the door to his room. He'd left Synthia and Marry downstairs to wonder while he took Alucard in with him.

"I can't believe this," Aeon said. "How'd you follow me?"

"I love having the ability to transform into a bat. You hardly notice," Alucard smiled. Aeon sighed, knowing how much this could affect him. "And I must say, you've got yourself a catch there." Aeon's eyes widened and he glared at his friend. Alucard laughed, saying he was kidding and that he wasn't interested in Synthia at all.

"That's not why I came though," Alucard said. "Something is terribly wrong, and I think I know what it is."

"Now what?" Aeon asked annoyed. "Lose track of the years again?" The vampire scowled at him, shaking his head.

"This has something to do with you too, just hear me out here. Something's different here. I was flying around my father's castle, at least, that's what that large, deserted place is about ten miles out right?" Aeon confirmed this and urged him go on, partly because Alucard was already getting annoying.

"Well, there was someone going up there. Just walking alone. Thankfully it was a guy, as I found out when I flew closer, but he didn't look like the type to go to my father for anything. He's not a zombie. My father hasn't caused his harm yet, for another 100 years correct?"

"This is correct," Aeon was slowly becoming more intrigued as Alucard went on.

"He was kind of muscular, and he looked like he was sneaking around too. He seemed young, and I'm talking about a mortal's age young... like Marry and Synthia. If I didn't know better, I'd have said he looked like they mayor around here..." Alucard whispered. That was the point Aeon was officially involved with everything. He turned around, cutting Alucard off.

"Did he have brownish black hair?" Aeon asked.

"Yes."

"Is there perhaps a bruise on one of his shins?" Aeon asked.

"As a matter of fact, there was. Do you know the man I speak of?" Alucard answered.

"As a matter of fact, I do," the time keeper told him, keeping his volume down. "His name is James, he is indeed the mayor's son and he shouldn't be going up to Dracula for anything. I don't recall any Dracula history, as you said earlier, during this time and nothing for another 100 years."

There was something new Aeon seriously hadn't foreseen. Sure, there was a little fun and James had been stuck at his father's and gotten in trouble, but Aeon thought he was just being an ass. He didn't expect James to be so ignorant and stupid as to go to Dracula's place. That was usually certain death.

"Unless," Aeon cut off his train of thought. "Alucard, when did you see him going up to Dracula's place?"

"It was a matter of hours ago, why?" Alucard asked.

"Then we must go forward in time. He's probably still walking, or at the gates to Dracula's castle. He wants a deal, that's why he went there. I don't know what he's planning but there is no other explanation as to why he would ever go up there. I only hope for all of our sakes that he's alive," Aeon explained.

"I'm coming with you," Alucard said, a little cocky. "It would be rather interesting to see inside and because you might need some help. My father's still got his allies, no matter how weak they are, they seem to be loyal enough to him. I don't think that's changed much."

"Very well, you may come with me," Aeon said. "You did spot this after all, and I can't have you messing with things here now can I?"

"No, I suppose you can't," Alucard said, putting his feet up on the desk in Aeon's room.

"But you know something Alucard?" Aeon asked as he unlocked the door to his room and looking back at his friend, who was awaiting the finishing of his sentence. "You suck. I was just about to take Synthia out."

Alucard laughed at his friend's statement, taking it in more ways than one.

"Now now, you know I gave up the sucking long ago," Alucard said a calming fashion. Aeon sighed, seeing the double meaning his friend caught. He urged Alucard to come out of his room with him.

"Come on," the time keeper said. "If you're going to come with me, you need to help me explain things to the people downstairs, and you need me to depart from this hour."

"Oh, so very true," Alucard said, reluctantly putting his feet down and walking downstairs.

* * *

><p>"What! I thought you didn't have to leave for months!" Synthia protested when Alucard and Aeon were through explaining things to her. They left out the parts with time travel so that Marry wouldn't begin to ask questions, but Synthia knew the meaning to all of this.<p>

"Look, I'm sorry about this. Really I am, but I must do this. James could be in serious trouble. He can't just die by Dracula's hands," Aeon said.

"Whoa whoa, you ain't going up there, are ye?" Marry asked, wide-eyed. "For that worthless piece of dog shit?"

"We have to," Alucard said. "It's the only way to save him. He doesn't know what he could get into." Synthia couldn't believe this, for just minutes ago, her and Aeon were going to walk around town. She really did want to spend some time with him, and she thought she would. Now, she wasn't getting very much.

"Well then, let me at least get you boys some food," Marry insisted as she walked away into the kitchen, leaving the three alone.

"How far ahead must you travel?" Synthia asked.

"Not too far, like maybe a few hours, not even. Dracula's not the one to take a deal with the snap of the fingers. He's probably sitting on his throne, not knowing James is on his way," Alucard informed her. "We won't be long though."

"How does this whole thing even work? Time travel?" she asked.

"It's quite complex, but we must hurry. Time is of the essence," Aeon said. "I'm sorry again for leaving you like this. We will get to know each other, I promise you that. We'll come back alive." Figuring there was nothing more she could do about the situation, Synthia took Aeon around the corner of the inn.

Immediately, she kissed him...for minutes.

"Sorry, but just in case," Synthia said, and Aeon understood where she was coming from with her intentions. He knew they'd be alive if they were to alter other events in the future to this which Aeon already has and Alucard can't really die because he wasn't born yet, and he's a vampire.

* * *

><p>Marry came back with some simple cornmeal, bread, and water. She didn't want them to starve on their travels, however, she didn't know the half of it.<p>

"You still suck, you know that?" Aeon said as he and Alucard left the inn.

"Yeah, I'm well aware," Alucard replied, smiling so his teeth showed.

"Good, don't you forget it," the time keeper said as they came to the back alleyway. "Do we even have a plan for this?"

"Sure," the vampire said confidently. "Go in, take the idiot, or wait until he leaves. Then, we don't need to worry about Dracula."

"I'd like to know what he's up to just in case though," Aeon said. "And you were always one for liking the least amount of work possible." Alucard smirked, Aeon knew him almost too well.

"You know, I'm shocked that neither of them noticed you were a vampire," Aeon pointed out as they came to the perfect location for Aeon to use his blade, making sure they had everything ready.

"Me too, I tried to keep my talking amount minimal and it must've worked. Luckily I can control myself," Alucard said. Aeon made the split through time and allowed Alucard to enter first.

The time keeper followed, however, he may have slipped up again, for in that back alley for the rest of the day, not a note of music could be heard, even if one asked the musician to play. He was too consumed with what he'd just witnessed. One minute there, the next gone...right before his very eyes...


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Vampires, Time Travelers, and Idiots **

"This is so...odd," Alucard said as they came to the gates of Dracula's castle in what seemed like a different time period.

"Odd?" Aeon repeated in question. He'd never heard his friend use such a word before, however Aeon couldn't blame him. The time traveler was used to such things being different all the time. It was part of his work. "Well, no matter. Let's see what James and old Dracula are up to."

The two entered the castle, Alucard slicing through what seemed to be zombie after zombie until the castle doors were opened. The two entered, Aeon wondering what sort of enemies they could be up against. Anything was possible, but he wasn't sure of what to make of the hallways as they walked on, though not as much as Alucard was "admiring" all the older features even he'd never seen before.

"I had no idea my father had an entire hallway dedicated to sword display. Where are we?" Alucard asked.

"We are about to approach the Great Stairwell, why?" Aeon asked.

"I don't remember my father having any of this," Alucard mentioned as they began climbing stairs, running into a few Gunmen and other enemies along the way. A_lucard made things look easy_, Aeon thought as he sliced and diced the final Gunmen in their way. His sword and power were fairly impressive.

As they pressed on, Aeon heard a few voices. He held up a hand to warn his friend tailing behind him. They pressed themselves into the wall behind a clock as tight as they could. Two skeleton butlers were coming through, but Aeon didn't want to dispatch of them just yet. He restrained Alucard from a sneak attack.

"So, do you think the boss's gonna take the deal?" one asked. Alucard didn't fight Aeon anymore.

"Not sure," the other replied. "He's not one for deals, though I must admit the mortal has a very tempting offer."

"Do you think there even is such a girl as the one he describes?" the first asked.

"It's possible, and it'd be a sight to see. The mortals don't usually lie either, and he came all the way up here... there's gotta be such a girl. What was her name again?" the second said.

"Like...Sarah or somethin'. Synthia, that's the one," the first remembered.

"Yeah, her! Man, can't wait to see this one. No offense, but the boss could use a play thing or something if you know what I mean," the second responded. The two walked off in laughter together, leaving a tempered Aeon and a strained Alucard to hold him back.

"That's the end of this for me," Aeon said. "He'll NEVER have her, not if I can help it!" Aeon said, almost yelling before the vampire interfered with his speech.

"Look at me. Aeon, look at me," he said until the time keeper did what he asked. "All we can do right know is find out what's going on. They're still making that deal. I can feel my father still around and I smell mortal boy not too far ahead of us either. Those two must have left a while ago. Things could have changed."

Aeon calmed down a little bit, taking into affect that Alucard could be right. There was no sense in getting riled up over something that wasn't definite yet. They pressed on, though the thought of James putting Synthia on the chopping block for his own benefit lingered in the back of his mind. It made him sick.

"I still can't get over how weird it is around here. The enemies are weaker and the place is nothing like what I knew as a child," Alucard said, hoping to get Aeon's mind off of what they'd just heard.

"Well, your father still hasn't met your mother yet, Alucard. Lots probably changed when they met. I mean, look at you," Aeon said, a smirk crossing his face so as Alucard took that the wrong way.

"Shut up," the vampire said, but he was willing to take a hit if it meant Aeon taking his mind off Synthia for a few moments.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe this," Synthia moped about Marry's Inn. She'd been pacing back and forth since Aeon and Alucard left. "We were just about to go out too. Then that guy had to come along and ruin it all."<p>

"Relax Synthia," Marry said, getting tired of her friend pacing in her living room. "They're probably fine. That man looked pretty well equipped for such a job. I'm just wondering what James would want with Dracula. I thought he was dead anyways."

"So we'd all love to think," Synthia said, but internally knowing Marry was right. Aeon did this all the time apparently, and Alucard...well he seemed like a well accomplished fellow. If he was Aeon's friend, she had to at least have some faith in them working together.

At that moment, Smiddy came bursting through the door, someone else in his hand who didn't look to comfortable.

"We need to hide him," Smiddy said quickly.

"What do you mean?" Marry said as Synthia came racing from the living room to see that Smiddy had some guy shut up with a cloth and in a headlock.

"Come on! Help me!" Smiddy begged. The two women complied and brought this man with Smiddy upstairs to another room far off from the others. They kept the cloth around him and tied him to the bed in panic, just in case he'd wake up all of a sudden.

"What's with him?" Synthia asked.

"He said he saw a time traveler and another man cut through time," Smiddy asked, winking at Synthia. The two gasped, but for two different reasons. "I know. I think he needs a doctor or somethin'. I didn't want him sayin' anything because he could upset the whole village. I thought I'd bring him here, see if he's delusional or somethin'." Marry ran downstairs, announcing she was going to grab a bucket of water for the man.

"This isn't good, but you handled it quite well," Synthia complimented.

"Thank you," Smiddy replied. "Marry's gonna have to know eventually though. Only us three should know though. It's for the best if you think about it."

"I know, you're right, but we can't tell her yet. She's the main key to make this whole thing believable because she believes him to be...delusional," Synthia said, then pulling the blacksmith aside into a corner where she lowered her voice. "If he really did see them, this could be an issue. We can't have the word spreading. What should we do with him?"

"I say we keep him here until Aeon gets back," Smiddy suggested. Synthia agreed, and as their conversation came to a close, Marry came back with the bucket of freezing water.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: Do Your Research First**

"There," Alucard whispered. "The throne room is just up ahead. Come on, Romeo." Aeon rolled his eyes and followed his friend to the balcony of the throne room. Dracula sat upon his throne and the mortal, James, was standing before him. Dracula had just told the guards to leave the room so he and James could speak alone.

"Now, about this girl. You're going to prove to me that she exists?" Dracula asked.

"Yes, I will," James said. "I promise."

"And in return you want what?" Dracula asked, sitting calmly on the throne.

"I want you to kill someone for me," James said. "His name escapes my mind but you could never miss him. He wears white all the time and carries a rather unique blade around with him. It has a giant clock on the end of it. His hair is white too."

"Alright, then," Dracula said. "You bring me the girl, and I kill this man, is that all?"

"Yeah, pretty much," James said. "I just wanna watch the bastard die if you don't mind."

"You have yourself a deal, Mortal," Dracula said. Aeon and Alucard knew Dracula was getting the best part of this deal, and James was a rather awful bargainer. Aeon was still having a rough time controlling himself, especially to know that James would go to Dracula to have him killed just for that reason. He had to be more careful with going back in time, he just wasn't sure exactly how careful.

Alucard pulled them back out of sight as the guards were called back in. Other things were said, but neither of them could hear it.

"I cannot believe someone would be that jealous as to go to my father for such a deal!" Alucard whispered. "He seems _very_ jealous of you, Aeon. What a sneaky little bastard. It's like if he can't have her, no one can."

"We need to check some history first. I can't remember if this kid actually becomes the mayor of this place. I need to know what happens to him. It's gotta be recorded somewhere if he's the mayor's son. If he does, then I can't kill him. It'd be affecting too many things. If he doesn't then...he can go missing and we will kill him. At least, I will," Aeon explained.

"That's all fine and well, but how do you plan on getting a hold of any of your books?" Alucard asked.

"Your father's gotta have something with the future of this place. Otherwise his destruction wouldn't be so bad. This is his...main area, for lack of a better term. He's gotta have something," Aeon said. That was it then. They were headed to find Dracula's library.

* * *

><p>Alucard tried to help Aeon by remembering where the library was when he was younger. They snuck around, making sure they touched the least amount of guards as possible. For some reason, the library was rather difficult to find.<p>

"Change into a bat already!" Aeon said as they were catching their breath behind a corner. "I swear, we've been everywhere in this place BUT the library!"

"Alright, alright," Alucard said. "Don't rush me. I could've sworn it was right around here though." Aeon was getting tired of this. James could be gone by now, if Dracula was letting him go and actually taking up this deal from a mortal. That was a rather odd thing to do, especially to Alucard. He'd never seen Dracula do such in a thing in all his life, well, all his immortal life. Still, Dracula was older than him.

"Ha!" Alucard swung his fist around to hit the new guard straight in the solar plexus. Then, he proceeded to knock him out with a fist to the back of his head.

"My father relays too much on the dead. One of his weaknesses I suppose. Him and skeletons, geez," the vampire said as he shook his hand out. Sometimes, a few of those bags of bones had some strong stuff in them. It was then Aeon noticed a new doorway.

"How about there?" Aeon whispered. Alucard glanced to where the time keeper pointed.

"What have we got to lose?" Alucard said, agreeing. Though Aeon actually had something to lose this time besides his own dignity and power. For once, he had a girl to protect, and he found that he would do anything to keep her safe. Even if that meant going to extremes.

That doorway turned out to be the one they'd been looking for. Millions of books lined the shelves, covering the entire room. Alucard sighed and shook his head after shutting the door behind them.

"How are we supposed to find what we need now? This could take an eternity!" Alucard complained.

"Not if you're me," Aeon said, closing his eyes. He pulled out his sword and spun the clock on the handle. In his mind, he could see the library, but he could search the time period and the name through every page of every book before him. Easily, he found the book he was looking for.

"There you are," Aeon said, opening his eyes and making his way to a middle shelf to pull off a brown leather book. He flipped through the pages until he found the name he looked for.

"Alright then, we have nothing to fear," Aeon said. "Turns out James here, dies in a duel of some sort...in approximately two years."

"So, if he never becomes mayor, does that matter?" Alucard asked. Aeon had to think about this carefully. Two years is a long time, especially for word to get out of either Aeon or Alucard. But, if he killed James now, he'd have to make sure that when James was actually killed, the duel could've been avoided. Aeon flipped through the pages to see if there was anything else. He found James's killer, some sort of rouge by a name that was insignificant to them. He read on to realize that the rouge didn't really acknowledge James being dead.

"I think we can kill him ourselves," Aeon said finally. "But, I'm curious as to how this will play out."

"But...you love Synthia," Alucard said, slightly with a mocking tone Aeon caught just as Alucard intended he would.

"This is true," Aeon said. "but, I have a plan of my own. She won't be dead, and since his death doesn't matter, we might blame this one on Dracula or a mysterious disappearance." Alucard smirked. His work was pretty much done here, he thought. The only thing left was to get out of this place in one piece.

Aeon placed the book back on the shelf, and shut his eyes again. He searched for Synthia in the books, but her name never came up. Not even once. He was glad for that because then their relationship could continue, however at the same time he felt sorrow. Her name is never recorded. She's forgotten like ever other commoner. That made Aeon slighlty upset but not so much he wouldn't focus. He turned around after his failure to Alucard.

"Shall we?" Alucard nodded.

* * *

><p>"Sheesh, it was harder getting <em>in<em> than it was getting out. That's a first for me, I don't know about you," Alucard said as they emerged from the castle grounds.

Meanwhile, Aeon was panting still and leaned up against a tree. He couldn't even support his own weight at the moment.

"Says the one...who can...transform...into...a _bat_," Aeon spat out through his heavy breathing. Alucard smirked, looking behind them. He could see James being escorted out by two guards. He told Aeon of this, but the time keeper was going to let James come to them. Aeon wanted most of his strength if he was to deal with James. Alucard waited, keeping tabs on the mayor's son as he came nearer. After Aeon got his breath back, they waited...

"The guards left him," Alucard said. Aeon glanced around the tree they were behind. James wasn't too far out from them. Aeon stayed hidden. They both knew Alucard was better suited for these situations.

"Okay, three...two...one...get in front of him!" Alucard whispered. Aeon jumped into James's path.

"Well now, look at this," Aeon said. "What have we got here?"

"Looks like something to kill if you ask me," Alucard said still in the tree to stay out of sight.

"Oh, it's you again," James said rather calmly, as Aeon expected him too. It was compliment to him really.

"Ready to make a little deal with me?" Aeon asked.

"Or rather, with us?" Alucard said, jumping to Aeon's side back in his original form.

"Ah, you have a friend now, it matters none to me," James said. "Oh well. Excuse me."

Alucard drew his sword.

"I can't let you do that...James."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: Revealed **

"So we're going to do this the hard way then?" James asked.

"It's only because you're making this difficult," Aeon said. "If you'll just let me tweak a few things with you, we'll spare your life."

"Yeah right, my business is my business. You aren't getting any information out of me!" James exclaimed.

"I'm not looking for information," Aeon replied. "I'm looking for an agreement."

"No," James said sternly. "Everything I'm doing right now is because of you, and not in a good way. Just leave me alone." Aeon refused and James became inpatient quickly. He drew a dagger, but Alucard had already seen that one coming. Better than Aeon's eyes could've caught, Alucard sung his own knife in front of Aeon and took the dagger from James. Alucard knocked him out as he did the skeleton guard earlier.

James lay on the dirt path, Aeon looking at Alucard.

"Now, was that really necessary?" Aeon asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. Who cares? Can't negotiate, might as well make everything easier, right?" Alucard asked as a rhetorical question. "Well, let's get him back to Marry's."

* * *

><p>"I wonder what happened to him?" Marry asked as she dabbed on the music guy's forehead. "Cutting through time? How ridiculous." Synthia and Smiddy looked at each other.<p>

"Anyway, no matter. He's seems to be asleep. That might help him some," she said, satisfied. Synthia looked at a clock. Several hours had passed already.

"Where are Aeon and Alucard?" Synthia asked. "They said they only had to be gone for a few hours. That was a long time ago."

"Don't worry. They're fine," Marry said. "I'm sure." Smiddy began wondering the same thing, as it was practically sun down and there was no sign of them anywhere.

It got dark quickly and the music guy was still asleep. Smiddy kept a close watch on him, even tying him down with more ropes just in case they both fell asleep watching him. However, Synthia wasn't falling asleep. She was too worried. Until...she heard voices coming from downstairs. She ran to the stairs to make sure it was them.

"I mean, really Alucard, you just had to carry him all the way here?" Aeon's voice came. "He doesn't even deserve that."

"Yes, yes I did. Come on, it was better than anything else we had planned so far," Alucard replied.

"You didn't even give me time to plan," Aeon countered.

"Oh because you're lacking time...uh huh," Alucard was joking of course.

"Aeon!" Synthia exclaimed, running down the stairs and jumping into his arms. Aeon caught her, surprised she was still awake.

"Synthia," he said. "You're still awake?"

"Yes, I was worried about you," she replied. He knew they'd been gone longer than they thought. He apologized for making her worry, and as she laid eyes on James, Alucard dragged him up the stairs. She asked what happened to James, but Aeon shook his head, pointing to the upstairs. He'd explain it all then. They all walked upstairs and Smiddy smiled as he saw the two men go into their rooms. Alucard would stay up all night, however Aeon was not.

The two went into Aeon's room for the night. Synthia sat on the bed as the time keeper took off his coat and detached the sword from his belt. He wrapped the chain around the clock, made sure the windows were locked and then stripped until his chest was bare. It was chilly tonight; he would keep his pants on but take off the boots and accessories. he leaned his sword against the closet and came to join Synthia on the bed.

As they lay together, Aeon explained why he and Alucard were gone so long. She was content no matter what he would say anyway. He was back and that's all that mattered to her.

"All will be revealed in the morning," Aeon said. Synthia told him that they should let Marry in on everything too. It was kind of awkward with her not knowing anything.

"Just her," Synthia said. "please?"

"That's alright," Aeon said lying down fully, facing her. Synthia rolled onto her other side, and Aeon came closer so he could wrap an arm around her waist. He kissed her on the head before falling asleep.

* * *

><p>"Okay, whoa whoa whoa whoa <em>whoa<em>! Hold on one moment," Marry said. "Let me get this straight...You-" she pointed to Aeon "are a time keeper?" Aeon nodded, showing her the thirteenth hour on the handle of his blade.

"And you-" she pointed to Alucard. "are from the future? Why are your teeth so pointy?"

"I...file them. As a child I liked to...bite things...so...I just file them now. Makes meat a whole lot easier...to chew," Alucard said. He wasn't fooling Aeon one bit. That was by far the worst lie he'd ever heard Alucard tell. Yet, they all fell for it.

"Okay," Marry was trying her hardest to just breathe for the moment, trying to take it all in. "And, you two knew about this the whole time?"

"I'm sorry Marry, but please understand. I wasn't supposed to know, none of us were," Synthia explained. "I stuck my nose where it didn't belong..."

"That was always like you, Synthia," Marry said, relaxing slightly. She took a deep breath. "So, everything in this time that has involved you, really shouldn't have happened?"

Aeon was silent for a moment. He knew that the majority of this was his fault. "Yes," he sighed. "I was trying to be careful with myself. I came here to get away from my stresses, not cause more of them. I didn't think interfering with a commoner's fight would effect this much of the future. I was just trying to be nice. If I wouldn't have stopped the argument, none of this would have ever happened. I'm sorry to have dragged you all into this...especially you Synthia. I'm so sorry."

"Why me?" Synthia asked. "You saved me if anything. I'm glad you did..."

"No no," Alucard said. "Don't even finish that sentence, Maiden. You don't know what we saw on our little trip."

"Why what-" Synthia began when a giant THUD was heard from upstairs. Smiddy ran up there and there was a WHACK sound before he came back down.

"Um, yeah. Okay. Now that we've caught up about you two, I've got a little somethin' for ye. There was this guy, and we have no idea who he is but...he saw you cut through time so...I don't know what to do with him..." Smiddy explained. Aeon sighed, annoyed.

"So...you just hit him on the head with a frying pan?" Alucard asked. Smiddy nodded. "Works for me. What should we do Aeon?"

Aeon stood before all of them, no knowing how to answer even that question. He didn't know what to do next. He walked out of the room, Synthia starting after him, however she was stopped by Alucard.

"Leave him," he explained. "The man needs time to think."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Deadly History**

Hours had passed, and Alucard decided to check on Aeon. He knocked on the door to his room, getting no answer. So he came in.

"Hey," he greeted, seeing Aeon sitting on the end of his bed. Aeon didn't even look at him. Alucard shut the door. "It's just me. What's going through your mind?"

"I don't know what to do,"Aeon said. "I need to go back to our time, brush up on some history of this town. It's just too much for me to handle right now. If that music guy has a career then we are all screwed! I made a mess of things here, and I hope to God I can fix it."

"Okay, you bring some books back. I'll stay here in case there's anything we don't know about. I'll page through the books with you. See what we can find on this place. I don't recall any commoners getting entertainment careers until way later than this. I mean, unless there was a bigger town near here but there isn't. Being closer to the king would mean entertainment at feasts and such, but we aren't anywhere near there. That guy can't have too much going for him...but I suppose it never hurts to check," Alucard rambled.

Aeon knew Alucard could very well be right, but he wasn't taking any more chances. His luck was pretty shitty at the moment.

"But, I feel bad about leaving again," Aeon said truthfully. "I already left her once, and merely for a day. It's been less than that already and I'm leaving again..."

"You can't help that," Alucard said. "Time keeper. Duty first." Aeon hated knowing Alucard was correct. He broke the news to everyone, and he really didn't want to see the look on Synthia's face. It made him not want to leave even more. He would try to make this a quick visit back to his world. Everything should be as it was when he left...he hoped.

Thankfully, he was right for once this time. With Alucard behind, he could think a little more clearly. The time keeper decided to study a little when he was in his own time without the vampire. He found his books, but only a few of them mentioned that little town at all. Not much he found eventful, and still no Synthia in any of the books. He paged though countless pages and glanced into them, soaking up any useful information.

He had no idea how much time had passed since he left...but he knew it was late when he closed the 54th book. That was the last one, and he only took with him the six most useful books to him and Alucard. Aeon didn't even want to look at a clock for once in his life. He just wanted to go back to Synthia.

When he did, he saw it was pitch black outside. At least no one would see him, and he did have some useful information for them. Aeon went to Alucard's room to find him standing near the window.

"You took your time," the vampire said. "Find anything useful?"

"Actually yes," Aeon said. "For the current matter, the musician. We can kill him. He becomes nothing famous, probably won't be missed if no one's come looking for him yet." Alucard nodded as Aeon set the six texts on a desk.

The vampire looked though one of the books, seeing no mention of Synthia.

"As far as James is concerned?" Alucard began...

"I don't know," Aeon quickly stated. "That's what I have you for. You're going to help me decide on what to do with him." Alucard sat a while and thought about this. He just wanted everything to go as easily and smoothly as possible. Alucard didn't like helping Aeon clean up his messes, especially with history. He asked if Aeon could do anything else to the guy to make him forget everything that had ever happened. Aeon countered Alucard's argument with the excuse of Dracula, which was always a good excuse. The last thing they wanted was to unleash Dracula. That was make a colossal mess.

Aeon yawned multiple times, a sign to Alucard that the time keeper had been up longer than he thought. He told Aeon to rest. After all, everyone else was. He'd look through the books now, trying, as Aeon had, to make sense of them and think of a way to fix their problem.

"Get up." Aeon was being shaken awake, and he wasn't appreciating it one bit. He'd been in a deep sleep from last night. It was Alucard, saying that Smiddy and Synthia went to the blacksmith's shop. Only Marry was here. Aeon slowly woke up and asked if the vampire had any luck in coming up with a plan.

"Kind of," Alucard told him._ Of course_, Aeon thought, _never specific_. "We kill the music guy. With James, you should do some kind of hypnoses thing so he forgets everything. If you don't want to do that, then you're on your own. I don't know. He either has to forget or he has to die. I know you want to kill the bastard but maybe him just forgetting is better."

"I want to keep Synthia safe and then see what Dracula will do to him when he doesn't show up with her," Aeon admitted. "If James's future killer doesn't mention the killing to many people then the story dies. So will a disappearance." Alucard wanted to know what Aeon was planning, but he knew he'd never understand the methods of a time keeper, even if he'd known that time keeper for a long time.

"So, we can kill the music man then?" Marry asked. Aeon nodded. "Good! He's such a hassle to watch. Sleepwalks a lot. Sort of creepy. I'll let Smiddy kill him, he's got the equipment." When Synthia and Smiddy came back from errands, they took the music guy into the blacksmith shop.

"I hate for a life to end like this," Synthia said.

"He won't feel a thing," Alucard reassured her, drawing a sword.

"I thought we were gonna burn him..." Smiddy said. _These people sure take death as no big deal, _Aeon thought. _It's almost barbaric._

"What good is a body burning alive and screaming?" Alucard said. "We kill, THEN we burn. Less noise, less questions." Smiddy nodded. Alucard stabbed the man through his heart to make sure he was dead. Then he and Smiddy threw him into the pit of burning coals.

"One down, hopefully only one to go," Synthia said, walking away from the scene and back to Marry's, Aeon close behind her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: If You Kill Him...**

"Hey Marry," Synthia greeted sulkily. Marry knew what had just happened, and she knew Synthia didn't take to death very well.

"It had to be done dear," Marry replied. "I'm sorry you had to see it. It's a price to pay, that's for sure. Maybe not to the rich bastards who come into town once and while to collect taxes, but it's a cost."

Aeon and Alucard followed Synthia back to the inn, but Aeon had no idea how to comfort her. Death was something he was used to. He'd never met anyone who had a problem with it. Alucard, of course, was immortal, so there wasn't an issue there. But to mortals, Aeon found that death was serious thing. Smiddy snuck behind them to go back upstairs.

"Don't think too much of it, Synthia," Alucard said. "It's an everyday occurrence. I wouldn't dwell on it too much."

Synthia didn't feel anything for the musician that had just been killed, but she didn't like it when people had to die for such a purpose as just knowing or seeing something. She herself shouldn't have known either, yet she was spared. There were some things in life she didn't understand, and this was one of them.

"Really?" Smiddy screamed from upstairs. He sounded frustrated.

"What?" Aeon yelled back. Smiddy came back downstairs, bringing bad news.

"He's gone," the blacksmith sighed. "Just gone. Have no idea how he got out of his bindings and out the window nonetheless."

"James escaped?" Marry asked. "That's not possible. If he did, he was very quiet. I didn't hear a thing and I've been here the whole time. I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Aeon said. "We just have to catch him now. Come on, Alucard. Time is of the essence." The vampire rolled his eyes, more so annoyed than frustrated. He dragged Aeon to the other side of the inn to talk alone with him.

"I don't think it would be in my best interest to go," Alucard said. "If I get upset by my father's actions, I will want to jump in. I'll create some sort of time warp. I don't think I'm supposed to see my father. I wasn't born yet."

"If you don't think you can handle it, fine," Aeon said. "Then I'll go alone." Aeon left through the back door of the inn, leaving Alucard standing there, wondering what the time keeper had planned if he ran into Dracula.

* * *

><p><em>A few days have passed,<em> Aeon thought to himself, _he must go back to Dracula soon enough. He'll be there eventually._ However, he knew he couldn't sick around too long and if he did run into Dracula, he'd have to defend himself. He felt confident about that part, but his greater concern was James. Aeon had to make sure that James disappeared tonight. If he goes missing, then no one questions anything later.

The time keeper stopped, seeing something going on at Dracula's front gate. There were a few guards moving about strangely. Perhaps James had already entered. Aeon froze time so he could get close to the gates and enter the castle. He made his way to the throne room, and let time resume its course when he was safe up in the rafters.

"You're rather late, mortal," Dracula said as James entered.

"My-my apologies, Count Dracula," James squeaked out. "Um, the girl...she...you will have her in two days time..."

"That was NOT our agreement. I don't even know of the man you speak of that you want me to kill!" Dracula spat.

"Wh-what do you mean?" James asked. Aeon knew this wasn't good.

"There is no man out there by the name of Aeon," Dracula said. "I've checked over and over. There is no such man." Aeon knew there was serious danger now. Now James would definitely ask questions. Their whole deal seemed to go under. Maybe they would cut the whole thing off. But, Aeon knew Dracula wouldn't miss this chance. He had fresh meat...

"You," Dracula said as the guards closed the door to the throne room and left altogether. "Why do you want this man gone so badly?"

"He ruined everything. My life, my reputation, he even stole my girl..." James said, but Aeon could see that James couldn't give a shit about Synthia. The first too may have been true, but the last one...not in his life.

"I've nothing more to lose," James said to Dracula. "That's why I came here..."

Dracula walked down from his throne and came 20 feet in front of James. Aeon watched as Dracula struck at James, but his attack was dodged as if it were a reflex.

"Ah, I see you still value your life," Dracula said. "Therefore, you _do_ have something to lose...let me take that burden from you..."

"Now now, Dracula," Aeon said, jumping from the rafters, landing at a safe distance. "Let's mind our manners shall we?"

The count turned to see Aeon, someone he'd never seen before in his immortal life, and stared.

"That's him! He exists!" James exclaimed. "That's Aeon."

"I wouldn't get so excited at me," Aeon said. "I'm just here to fix my mistake. Excuse me Count, but you cannot kill this man."

"And why not?" The vampire asked, eyeing Aeon with a sharp, rather sly, glare.

"Because if you do," Aeon took out his blade and spun the clock and took out his own pocket watch. "I'll have an even larger mess, and us time keepers hate messes." Aeon figured to just let it all out. James wasn't going to remember anyway and Dracula wasn't going to have a clue as to what he was talking about. Aeon swung his pocket watch back and forth at James, for he was already staring at it.

The count stood confused, unsure of what to do. This was a man he'd never heard of before, and if he really was a time keeper, Dracula knew if he killed him, everything would explode into chaos. He wanted to control the world in his chaos, not explode it. Aeon straightened his monocle, looking at the vampire intently. He was studying Dracula.

Not that he had much time of course. Dracula didn't believe he was a time keeper. A good hypnotist maybe, but not a time keeper. Aeon had to speed this up a bit. After James fell asleep, Aeon knew that James would wake up thinking it was all a dream. If he had any other realization right away after waking up, he'd kill him. Now was simply not the time for such.

Dracula lunged at Aeon and he sliced the count across the chest, reeling back. The vampire lunged again, and Aeon thanked the heavens he'd had a match or two with Alucard.

"Oh, an after image," Aeon said smoothly, watching the count spin around quickly. After a few minutes of battle and chaos between the time keeper and the vampire, they stopped to stare at one another.

"You are an alright opponent, but you haven't seen my worst yet," Dracula said. Aeon stood silent as Dracula walked away from him. "But I'll spare you. Take the mortal and leave. He wants you dead you know." Aeon knew better than that. Aeon chuckled, creating a white ring around Dracula's feet. Every second that passed, Dracula was letting Aeon's ability grow. Aeon walked over to James and lifted him up. He began walking away.

The count noticed the white ring perhaps too late. Aeon dropped James to the floor, seeing Dracula coming full speed.

"It's time!" Aeon yelled, freezing Dracula right in his tracks, the sword inches from his throat. "This will just take a minute...you may be immortal, but even that can't surpass time. Everything...eventually turns to dust." His sword came full scale onto the vampire. Aeon knew Dracula could see now that he was a time keeper. He wasn't lying...

"Right on time," Aeon said as the vampire screamed.

The count would recover, Aeon knew, and forget this whole thing. The time keeper dragged the vampire to his throne and set him up. He then took James out of the castle rather safely considering the guards were too caught up in what happened to Dracula when Aeon opened the door.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: A New Life and a New Day**

"Really? You brought him back?" Alucard said, seeing Aeon with James swung over his shoulder. They met in town, and Alucard told Aeon how long Synthia was just sitting around doing nothing. She was moping around, wondering when she'd get to spend more time with him. Aeon told Alucard what he did at Dracula's castle, but now he didn't know if he should kill James or not because he might forget everything.

"I just need a day longer," Aeon said as they walked back to the inn.

"Synthia," Aeon said as he walked in, dropping James to the floor without a care like last time. He took her into his arms, remembering how good that felt.

"Aeon..." Synthia said. "You're not leaving again...are you?" He could tell she was almost ready to cry. After all, they hadn't really been together in a long time.

"No, no I'm not leaving again," Aeon said. "I have a full day now. We just have to wait and see if James remembers anything. I'm all yours until dawn." She smiled, hugging him tighter. She hated waiting around for all of this, and being in this mess. She just wanted Aeon to be with her some more. They connected that long time ago...at least, she thought they had.

* * *

><p>The two of them went up into Synthia's room where she kissed him so many times, he was almost forced down onto the bed. She tackled him, keeping this kiss around longer. Her hands came onto his chest, and his arms wrapped around her waist. Synthia began taking off his white coat, but of course Aeon didn't mind this one bit. He forgot what it was like kissing her. He was so enticed by her kiss itself he wanted to keep kissing her back.<p>

She let go for a little while. "I'm sorry if that was a bit much. I've just missed you so much..." Aeon kissed her and rolled on top of her unexpectedly. She was pleasantly surprised, and she allowed him to run his hands along her sides and down to her bare legs. He kissed down her neck and slide his hand up to bunch her dress to her waist. His coat came off when he kept her pinned between his legs and threw it to the floor.

He wrapped his arms around her and she put hers around his neck as he laid on top of her. He missed kissing her, and she almost forgot how good of a kisser he was...

* * *

><p>"Okay, so now we have James here," Smiddy said, coming to the Inn later that day. "Do we have to kill him too?"<p>

"We don't know yet," Alucard said. "We have to wait 'till morning."

"Fun," Smiddy replied. "I have something for you, my good man."

"Me?" Alucard said, a little surprised when Smiddy confirmed this. Smiddy went to his room and grabbed his gift to Alucard. He came back down with his best work yet.

"Whoa," Alucard said. "This is a _nice_ blade." He could feel the balance in the blade compared to the handle. It was almost perfect, just a small difference. Not even noticeable really. The handle was pure silver designed with a ruby in near the tip of the handle.

"You're just giving it to me?" Alucard said, taken away by this.

"Yea, I am," Smiddy said. "I figure you deserved a little something. "This is our way of saying thank you."

"Thank you," Alucard said. "This is a very nice gift. Pure silver..." Smiddy smirked, winking at Marry who smiled.

There was a sudden burst into Marry's Inn. It was the mayor.

"Where is my son?" He asked impatiently. It was so sudden, it surprised everyone, including Alucard. It took a little while to pose a response.

"Um, oh! Your son is...upstairs...right?" Alucard said, looking at Marry.

"Yes," Smiddy cut in. "I took him up there. He's fine." The mayor asked to see his son, and Marry led him up there, seeing Synthia's room was shut. She smirked to herself. They are so in love! She thought it was cute.

Marry let the mayor in, explaining that his son was sleeping and she'd let him stay until he woke up for no charge. The mayor stayed a while, asking what had been happening with his son lately. No one really had a good answer for him, so Alucard said that his son my have gone a little crazy.

"Perhaps he hit his head or something. He keeps mentioning time keepers and Dracula," Alucard said, thinking that if James would say anything, the mayor would take their side rather than his son's. He could have just hit his head, after all, it did sound crazy. Someone would almost have to dream the events that had been going on with them for the past few days.

"Hmm," the mayor said. "I'll have a talk with him."

"He did go astray though, almost to that old castle," Marry mentioned, making the mayor turn to face her, a little worried.

"What?" he gasped.

"Yes, Al-" she cut herself short, compromising quickly. "Yeah Al here, went to get him after I told him who James was." The mayor looked at Alucard. _That was a smooth one Marry pulled there,_ he thought to himself.

"I travel a lot with my friend you see. I don't know what goes on in every town all the time. I know faces, but names...I'm hopeless," Alucard admitted.

"Well, I thank you greatly, Al," the mayor said. "James was always a troublemaker I know." _More than you know,_ Marry thought.

* * *

><p>Aeon and Synthia lie next to each other, sighing contently.<p>

"I love you," Aeon said suddenly. Synthia looked at him, smiling.

"You know, I love you too," Synthia replied, sighing again. She fell asleep on his bare chest after that, and he realized he could use the sleep as well. They didn't even go back downstairs. Oh well.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Alucard told Aeon they should return to their own time.<p>

"I think you could leave if you must. You don't have any more business here," Aeon said. "Me, I might stick around...for a while. A long while."

"You're gonna move here?" Alucard asked.

"Not completely, but I will establish my life here. Don't worry, my records will be where I can find them and all you have to do is use this..." Aeon gave the vampire a special dagger with black fluid in the tip of the handle. "use this to make a small cut through time. This will allow you to come back to this time and come to me if there is a problem."

"Alright, so long as we can still clash swords. You're really the best opponent I've got. I'm not just going to let that go," Alucard said, taking the dagger. "So, you'll come back with me too?"

"Yes, then I will get what I need from our time and come back here," Aeon explained.

"Does this fluid stuff need to be replaced?" Alucard asked wisely.

"Yes. When it runs out, I'll fill it again and you'll have to stay with us for a while. That stuff...let's just say I have to make it," Aeon told him.

When Aeon told Synthia and Marry he was going to establish himself here, the both of them were rather delighted. Marry thought it'd be nice to have a man around the place. She might have a better business look and Synthia would enjoy her new lover's company...most definitely.

* * *

><p>"Back to this old place," Aeon said, giving the moist air a good sniff. It felt like a breath of new life to him. He laid eyes on the clock tower he knew too well.<p>

"Yeah," Alucard agreed. "I'm going to put this where I can see it." Aeon saw the new sword Alucard acquired for the first time.

"Where did you get that?" Aeon asked.

"Smiddy gave it to me as a thank you," Alucard said. "I have a feeling he knew you were going to stay and your blade...it can't be replaced."

"This is true," Aeon said, walking with Alucard until they had to split. Aeon cut a hole in time again, and he could see Synthia in her room, yet she couldn't see him. He brought the things he needed one by one into her room. She jumped the first time he came in, but then she got used to him going in and out.

"That is so neat," she said as he walked from his hole in time back to her over and over. He established in his own room right across from Synthia's. Alucard snuck into the time warp to help Aeon a little but then he stuck around and gave Aeon some bullshit talk. _A true friend, _Aeon thought as he brought the last of his things in.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: ****Epilogue**

Most of Aeon's history books stayed in his own time considering he didn't want to take any chances with anyone from Synthia's time to get a hold of them. There were also too many books. He'd let Alucard store some of them in his place, as much as he could fit from all the way to the beginning of time up until their recent time. That's what empty rooms were for, Alucard had told him.

Alucard did have a lot of space, so Aeon left Alucard to that job. Later, he found that all the history from the beginning of time dealing with humans up until 100 years ago from their time had fit in all that extra space. Aeon was relieved about that, for he thought of the future books being little of a threat to anyone who stumbled upon them. He kept the books in those 100 years that Alucard couldn't fit in boxes and lined those up in Alucard's living room. He didn't mind that at all.

"Well, there's that," Aeon said, looking again in his own clock tower. No one had been up there ever since he was living there. And that's been...forever. He was just taking extra precautions, and he trusted Alucard enough by now to know that no one would go into that extra room of his. Alucard could look in the books all he wanted, but it was just history.

"I'll see you around, Aeon," Alucard said as a goodbye.

"Oh, you will," Aeon said. "See you later." He stepped into the time warp and closed the hole after him. Synthia was standing there.

* * *

><p>"Hello you," Synthia said, greeting him with a soft kiss. He kissed back, loving the mood she was in. "James woke up. Might wanna go check that out." Aeon left his blade in Synthia's room, and he quickly went to Smiddy's location to see James with his father.<p>

"Him Father!" James said. "He's a time keeper...and..."

"Al was right," the mayor said. "He hit himself a hard one." Aeon knew James remembered Dracula, but they weren't going to mention that one.

"His name is...Aeon," James said. The mayor looked to the time keeper.

"He knows my name, but I can assure you Sir, I am no time keeper," Aeon said.

"But your blade..." James began and Aeon drew an old blade he had attached to his belt. It was just like any ordinary work anyone could find at a good blacksmith's shop. James sat in silence. Aeon was also wearing his red coat and he'd died his hair black. He still kept the monocle though.

"Come on, Son," the mayor said. "Let's go home. You need some rest. These were all just dreams you've been having."

"They are real, Father," James insisted.

"Son, come now," the mayor said. "We are going to make you forget about all of this. Dreams can be powerful things." The two of them left, and Aeon was content knowing that the mayor took their side of things. Now even if the word did get out, no one would ever believe James.

"There we go," Marry said. "All fixed. Now, you two are going to sit and eat." Smiddy sat right away and he insisted Aeon sit.

"Marry makes the best roast you will ever taste," Smiddy said as a compliment. Marry smiled and brought the food out to the kitchen table. Synthia was called down as well, and they all sat to eat dinner, for once getting the chance to just talk. Not about anything strange like the past few days. The secret was kept safe and there were other topics to be discussed.

"So," Smiddy mentioned. "When's the wedding?" Marry laughed seeing Aeon swallow his water down the wrong tube and Synthia's face. Aeon coughed, quickly getting the water to go the right way and Synthia spoke up.

"It's a bit early for that sort of talk," she said. Aeon nodded, only agreeing. He didn't want to say anything he'd regret later.

* * *

><p>A week later, things had been going rather well for everyone. Marry got some steady business with some sort of tournament a town nearby was holding. Her place was the best to stay considering she had plenty of room, and she allowed the new arrivals to store everything in their rooms. The windows were all equipped with locks as well.<p>

Aeon and Synthia were going strong, and Aeon knew that his life would take a turn for the better. He didn't mind that at all. Being a time keeper he'd always thought meant that he would be forever alone with his duties. This wasn't the case at all, and he could actually have a life. He wasn't sure what was going to happen though. He was immortal after all. Perhaps there was something that would happen that would make Synthia able to stay with him. After all, if things kept going the way they did, Aeon would surely do anything to keep her by his side forever.

One night, the two were sharing a bed, and things were getting rather heated. She'd kissed him once and for some reason, he just wanted to tackle her. So he did, naturally, and so began that atmosphere...

Until it was ruined.

"Whoa!" a familiar voice said. "I really didn't need to see that guys!"

"Alucard!" Aeon exclaimed. "Really?" The vampire smiled and laughed. He was just giving Aeon some crap.

"Why are you here?" Synthia asked.

"I've come to tell Aeon somethin'," Alucard said. "We've got a situation. Um, the death of James is still the same..." Aeon climbed out of bed and brought Alucard out into the kitchen.

"His death is the same but the mayor apparently does something rash. He bans anyone from going up to Dracula's castle...at all," Alucard said.

"That's no big deal," Aeon said. "Someone from another area starts the whole other Dracula scenario. Don't worry, he can ban that all he wants." Alucard was relieved to hear that, and he went back through the hole in time back in Synthia's room. Just when Aeon climbed back in, Alucard's voice came again.

"Um Aeon, how do I shut the... time hole?" Alucard asked. Aeon rolled his eyes and got out of bed again. He picked up his sword and closed the hole himself.

"See you around, Alucard. Thanks for checking in with me," Aeon said before completely closing it.

"Bye Aeon. Bye Synthia!" Alucard said.

Synthia laughed slightly as Aeon came back into bed with her.

"Well, that ruined the mood," Synthia said, lying on her side.

"Kind of," Aeon agreed, then sliding his hands up and down her side. "But I bet I can recreated it..." However, Synthia just rolled over and brought him onto his back.

"It's okay," she said, cuddling in close to him and yawning. "I'm a little tired anyway. I do love you though. We'll do that another time." Aeon sighed, letting the situation be as it would. _Freaking Alucard,_ he thought to himself. _Ruin my moment...especially that one! Damn that vampire._

He wasn't going to complain though. He'd have plenty of other chances with Synthia. He watched her sleep a while before he too fell asleep...much easier than ever before...maybe because for once in his long life, he was content with everything. He'd fixed his problem and now he had the most beautiful girl sleeping next to him, and that beautiful girl loved him. That was something no amount of time could ever give him...a place to call his home and the love of a girl. A girl named Synthia.


End file.
